Huntress of the Moon
by Brightfire15
Summary: Requested by fans. Female Scott story. Young Artemis Moon's life was a simple one until she encountered a strange creature in the woods. Now, she's caught in the middle of a war between dangerous people and beings she never thought existed. She'll need all the help she can get, including that of her childhood crush, Derek Hale, if she wishes to survive the Alpha and hunters. R&R!
1. Wolf Moon

Huntress of the Moon

Disclaimer: I don't own _Teen Wolf_

Wolf Moon

Her name was Artemis Moon.

Her life was an ordinary one—she was your typical seventeen-year-old girl, she was simple in looks with brown hair and brown eyes, but she was great in heart. She had a best friend known as Stiles, she lived alone with her divorced mother in the little town called Beacon Hills, and worked part-time to help pay for the bills, and she had goals and dreams for her life. She sold handmade jewelry online during school holidays, and during the semester, she worked part-time at the local vet clinic. She liked to play lacrosse for her high school, but frequently got benched. This year, all of that was going to change, she just knew it.

On the last night of summer vacation, right before the start of her junior year of high school, she was mending her lacrosse net when she heard a noise. Because of the late hour and because her mother was currently working the graveyard shift at the local hospital, Artemis felt slightly afraid. She grabbed her baseball bat and quietly snuck down to the porch, fully prepared to give whatever burglar was sneaking around a good whacking, when Stiles suddenly appeared, hanging upside-down from the roof. They both ended up screaming for a few moments until they realized who they were screaming at and just stared at each other.

"Stiles, what the heck are you doing?" yelled Artemis.

"You weren't answering your phone!" said Stiles. He stared in confusion at her baseball bat. "Why do you have a bat?"

Artemis sighed in exasperation. She'd turned off her cell phone because she'd been charging it, and then he'd snuck in and scared her half to death. Why did he think she had the bat? "I thought you were a predator!" And why the heck hadn't he just called her house phone?

Stiles just laughed. "Me? A predator? Seriously, Arty?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes. Stiles may have been her best friend since kindergarten, but that didn't mean he didn't occasionally get on Artemis's nerves. She put down the baseball bat, reached over and smacked the back of Stiles' head with her hand.

"Ow! What was that for?" asked Stiles.

"For scaring me half to death, you idiot," she snapped. "Now, get down from there before you fall and give yourself a concussion." _He'd better have a good reason for this or I'm going to kill him._

Stiles climbed down from the roof.

"Now, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I thought you might like one last summer vacation adventure," said Stiles, looking excited. "I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago." Stiles' father was the town's sheriff. "Dispatch called. They're bringing in every officer in Beacon Hills and even state police. Two joggers found someone in the woods."

"And by someone, you mean that the person is—?"

Stiles nodded. "Dead as a doornail. They don't know much yet, other than it's a girl in her twenties. But that's not the worst part. They didn't quite find all of her, if you get what I mean."

Artemis grimaced. She got it. "And let me guess, we're going?" As if she needed to ask.

"Duh," said Stiles, grinning. "Come on. Get your coat and grab your flashlight. We're going."

Sighing and yet smiling, Artemis grabbed her coat and then followed Stiles to his jeep. Soon, they came to the woods and parked just outside of it. They then got out of the car, switched on their flashlights and began their trek through the forest.

"Remind me again, why we're doing this?" said Artemis, as she zipped up her coat and put on her hood to block out the chilly autumn air and rainfall.

"You're the one who's always complaining that nothing ever happens in this town," said Stiles.

"You say that too," said Artemis. "Besides, I was trying to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow."

"Right, because sitting on the bench is such hard work."

"Well, maybe I'll get to actually play instead of being benched for once," said Artemis. She and Stiles had been benched in lacrosse during both freshmen and sophomore year. Artemis wanted to change that and actually play. Lacrosse in Beacon Hills was like basketball in New York. "I want to try and make first line."

"Well good for you, Arty. Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one," said Stiles, jokingly.

Artemis rolled her eyes, but she chuckled. "You never know. If I get on first line, maybe you'll actually go to the Winter Formal with Lydia Martin for once." Lydia Martin was their school's Teen Queen—beautiful, popular, intelligent, a total snob and girlfriend of the lacrosse captain. Stiles had had a crush on her since elementary school. Why, Artemis had no idea. "Oh, and just out of curiosity, did it never occur to you that whatever killed that girl might still be out here?"

"Nope," said Stiles.

Artemis chuckled again as they climbed up one of the hills in the woods. "It's comforting to know you've planned this with your usual attention to detail."

"I know," said Stiles, excitedly.

"Stop for a second, I need to catch my breath," said Artemis. She was finding it hard to breathe and needed a rest. She leaned against a tree before pulling out her inhaler, shaking it and then taking her asthma medication. Artemis had had severe asthma for years, which was part of the reason she rarely played lacrosse for her team, despite her efforts to do otherwise.

"Feel better?" asked Stiles, after a few moments.

She nodded and then her eyes widened in slight fear. "Uh, Stiles, we'd better hide."

"Why? What's the—oh," said Stiles. He turned around to see the police with flashlights and dogs not too far away. If they were caught, Stiles would be grounded for life or locked up in prison. Sometimes it stunk having a cop for a dad. However, instead of hiding, Stiles actually just looked excited. "Come on, Arty!"

"Stiles, wait up!" said Artemis. She struggled to keep up with him as he took off. She ended up hiding behind a tree when Stiles got startled by a dog and caught by a cop and his dad. She listened in on their conversation and kept hoping she wouldn't be caught too. If it was just Stiles, the sheriff would be merciful. Two delinquents and he'd be mad as a bull that saw red.

"Hang on, hang on, this little delinquent belongs to me," said Sheriff Stilinski.

"Hi, Dad, how're you doing?" said Stiles, trying to sound casual, as though this was completely unexpected.

Sheriff Stilinski wasn't fooled, though. "So, do you listen in on all my phone calls?"

"No. Not the boring ones," said Stiles.

_Not the boring ones? Stiles, seriously! _thought Artemis. _You couldn't think of a better excuse than that? We're so busted!_

"And where's your usual partner in crime?" asked Sheriff Stilinski.

"Who, Artemis? She's at home. She said she wanted to get a good night's sleep before the first day back at school tomorrow," said Stiles. "It's just me out here."

_I owe you one, Stiles._

As if he was checking for proof, Sheriff Stilinski aimed his flashlight and yelled out against the rumbling thunder, "Artemis, you out there? Artemis?"

"Dad, I told you. She's at home," said Stiles. "Artemis is not here."

"But you are. And you, young man, are going to walk with me back to your car and when I get home tonight, we're going to have a long talk about invasion of privacy," said Sheriff Stilinski.

Artemis could hear him being dragged away almost kicking and screaming. She so owed Stiles for covering her like this.

As soon as the coast was clear, Artemis began heading home. She shivered, but whether it was from cold or fear, she didn't know. She hated these woods at night as it always made her think of the scary movies she and Stiles watched on Halloween. Why had she let Stiles talk her into going out on one of his crazy adventures? Oh, that's right. Because he was her best friend and practically her brother and they always stuck together.

Still, the sooner she was out of the woods, the better. Feeling frightened, Artemis put her flashlight in her pocket, pulled out her inhaler and one of her anxiety pills (Artemis had panic attacks) and after swallowing the pill dry, she was about to take another breath through her inhaler when suddenly, she heard a loud rumbling and it wasn't thunder.

Before Artemis could react, she found herself dropping her inhaler as countless deer ran all over. She was caught in the middle of a stampede and tried not to get herself killed until it ended. Her heart was pounding as she shakily stood up and began looking for her inhaler.

Instead of finding her inhaler, she found the poor dead girl. Artemis let out a startled scream before she backed up in fear and tripped. She fell down a hill and ended up with some bruises as she hit some trees on her way down.

_That's it. The next time Stiles asks me to go with him on one of this crazy stunts of his, I'm telling him no. I'm going to need therapy and sleeping medication after this. _

She dusted herself off and tried to go on her way, only to stop in her tracks when her blood ran cold at the sound of something behind her growling.Against her better judgment, she turned around and was shocked by what she saw.

It was a wolf. Not the kind she'd seen in animal documentaries and books, but the scariest type of wolf she'd ever seen. It was huge with black fur, dripping fangs and glowing red eyes. Worse, it was headed straight for her.

_Oh, crap. Oh, crap!_

Before she could run, the wolf leapt onto her and bit her side before taking off into the woods. She managed to run a short distance before the pain became too much for her to bear and she collapsed to the ground.

The last thing Artemis saw before succumbing to unconsciousness was a face she hadn't seen in six years before he took her into his arms and hearing a wolf's howl in the distance.

XXX

When Artemis woke up, she was in her room, on her bed. Surprisingly enough, her bite wound was bandaged, and there was a note sticking out from under her pillow that read the following.

**Just to keep you from freaking out, I thought I'd let you know that I found you in the woods after you passed out and I took you home. Your wound will be fine. Don't worry. Your mom doesn't know anything, and I'm watching over you. Take care of yourself, Huntress of the Moon. See you soon.**

—**D.**

Artemis couldn't help but smile. Her old friend had come back, just like he'd promised. Though they'd kept infrequent contact through e-mails and phone calls, she'd missed him greatly.

Quite happy and even a bit excited, she quickly got ready for school. After adjusting the necklace he'd given her for her birthday years ago that she'd never taken off, which was a simple crescent moon with diamonds and sapphires and a tiny star, before she headed out for the day. She met up with Stiles after parking her bike outside of the school.

"Hey, Arty!" said Stiles.

"Hey, Stiles," said Artemis. She tried to restrain a wince when the school's number one jerk, Jackson Whittmore, bumped into her on her purpose and hit her bite wound and failed miserably. Jackson was the guy all the girls wanted at school—popular, good-looking and lacrosse captain. But to those who were lower in the school's caste system, he was a complete jerk and not to mention, a total idiot in Artemis's opinion.

"Jackson didn't hit you that hard," said Stiles, looking concerned. "What's with the wince?"

"I got bit by an animal last night and that jerk just hit it," said Artemis, sounding irritated as they walked up to the front steps. "I was on my way back when a stampede of deer nearly hit me, I dropped my inhaler and while I was looking for it, I saw the body."

Stiles looked excited. "You saw the body? Are you kidding me?"

"I wish. I'm going to have nightmares for a month. I was so freaked out when I saw that poor girl that I only looked at her for a second before I fell down a hill," said Artemis. "That's when I saw the thing that bit me."

"And what did bite you?"

"It was pretty dark out, but I'm pretty sure it was a wolf," she admitted. "It was huge with these freaky eyes and it bit me before it took off. I even heard a wolf howling."

Stiles just laughed. "A wolf? That's impossible, Arty. There haven't been wolves in this state in over sixty years. There's no way you were bitten by a wolf, much less heard a wolf howling last night."

Artemis just shrugged. She was sure it was a wolf, but if Stiles was right, then maybe she was mistaken. "Well, whatever it was; it sure as heck wasn't friendly. I didn't even do anything to make it mad and it attacked me."

"Animals are crazy. And anyway, considering what you saw and you got jumped, you're in an awfully good mood. So, 'fess up, what else happened last night?" asked Stiles.

"Oh, well, Derek's back," said Artemis, smiling.

Stiles' eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks. "Derek as in Derek Hale?" he said. "He's back? Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack," said Artemis. "I woke up this morning in my room with my wound bandaged and I found this under my pillow." She handed him the note. "Apparently, he found me and took me home last night."

"So, you got attacked and rescued by your Prince Charming," teased Stiles.

Artemis turned red. "Shut up," she said. The bell then rang. "Come on, let's get to class. I'm buying us both some pie at lunch today since you covered for me last night."

Stiles looked quite happy. "Let's hope it's apple they're serving today. Apple's my favorite."

"And if they're not serving it for lunch, then I'll buy us one big apple pie on Friday and we'll split it," said Artemis. Friday nights were reserved for movies and studying at either Stiles' or Artemis's house with junk food and fun.

"You're the best, Artemis," said Stiles, as they went to class.

XXX

During class that day, Artemis quickly discovered something was either really wrong or completely impossible, she wasn't sure which. She was hearing sounds she shouldn't have been able to hear like heartbeats and the school's new student, a very pretty and nice young girl, talking on her cell phone outside before she met with the principal came into the classroom.

After class, Artemis was at her locker when she heard the new girl struggling to open hers. Artemis walked over to her.

"Excuse me, do you need some help?" she asked.

"Yes, actually, I do," said Alison.

She stepped back, Artemis gave the locker door some quick knocks and then it opened.

"Thanks. How'd you do that?"

"I had this locker last year. It can be pretty stubborn sometimes, but if you knock on it in the right places, it cooperates," said Artemis. It was a piece of junk, and Artemis had no idea why the school principal wouldn't just replace it.

"Well, thanks. I'm Alison Argent," she said. "I just moved here from San Francisco."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Artemis Moon," said Artemis. Alison seemed really nice. Artemis thought she might actually gain a female friend her own age for once. Being one of the school nerds, Artemis's only friend in the school was Stiles. "So, what brings you to our little town of Beacon Hills?"

"My family moves around a lot for work. This is our latest stop," said Alison.

"Cool," said Artemis. She always wondered what it was like to travel so much. "Well, Beacon Hills isn't quite like San Francisco, but it has its moments. I think you might like it here."

Just then, Lydia came up to them, or rather she came up to Alison and looked longing at Alison's leather jacket.

"That jacket is killer," said Lydia. "Where'd you get it?"

"Hi, Lydia," said Artemis. "Alison, this is Lydia Martin. Lydia, I assume you've already know who Alison is?" Not only was Lydia the school's Teen Queen, but she was also the biggest gossip and the nosiest person Artemis knew of.

Lydia barely gave Artemis a second glance. "I'm not talking to you, Moon. So, Alison, where did you get your jacket?"

"My mom was a boutique buyer in San Francisco," said Alison.

"And you are my new best friend," said Lydia.

_Why does that not surprise me? _Having known the girl for years, Lydia just proved to Artemis that she was a total self-centered and shallow twit who cared more for her popularity and what people thought of her that actually compassion and kindness. To make things all the more perfect, Jackson came up and quickly pecked Lydia on the lips before turning to Alison.

"Hey, there's a party on Friday. Want to come?" asked Jackson.

"Friday? Sorry, I can't. It's family night on Friday," said Alison, apologetically. "But if I do manage to come, can I bring Artemis?"

"Yeah, sure," said Jackson. But the look in his eyes said otherwise. "So, hope to see both you lovely ladies then. Come on, Lydia. I've got practice in a few minutes and I want you to watch."

Artemis was glad when they both left.

"Holy crap. They were…are they always like that?" asked Alison, as they walked down the hall.

"Pretty much. Lydia's a gossip and kind of stuck-up. But she's nice to those she likes, which will include you. Jackson's captain of the lacrosse team. Lacrosse is this town's main sport. We've won the state championship for the last three years because of him," said Artemis. "Jackson's a big jerk to those he thinks are beneath him, myself and my friend Stiles being some of them."

"Thanks for the warning. I'll stay away from him," said Alison. "Do you actually want to go to that party?"

"Not really. I've heard what they say about parties like those. Besides, Stiles and I have plans. What about you? Was family night a lie or do you actually have plans then?" asked Artemis.

"Family night was a total lie, but I didn't know what else to say. I don't want to go either," admitted Alison. "Anyway, since lacrosse is this town's sport, do you play lacrosse?"

"I'd like to play here, but I keep getting benched. If I'm lucky, I might be able to change all of that this year. If not, I'll just keep Stiles company on the bench," said Artemis. "Do you want to watch? Practice starts in a few minutes."

"Yeah, sure," said Alison. She looked almost excited. "You know, Artemis, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

Artemis smiled as they headed out.

XXX

At practice, Stiles kept trying to talk to Artemis about her desire to play while she was trying to quell the butterflies in her stomach she had from nervousness. Coach Finstock had just told her what to do in practice and now she was completely dreading it as she'd never done it before.

"But if you do end up playing, I'll have no one to talk to on the bench," said Stiles.

"Stiles, relax. I said I was going to try to make first line, that doesn't mean I actually will. Besides, you might get a shot at playing this year too," said Artemis. "I've got to go. Coach Finstock wants me to be the goalie to give the boys a confidence boost." Sometimes being the only weak girl on a team full of strong boys really stank.

She went over to the goalie's net, fully equipped and prepared for anything, except for how painful the sound of Coach Finstock's whistle was to her ears. She was cringing in agony. What was with her today? In her pain, she failed to pay attention to her surroundings and managed to catch the first ball with her face, much to the team's amusement.

Deciding not to let that happen again, Artemis took a defensive stance and prepared for the target practice. Much to her surprise, everything seemed to slow down. She could see every movement perfectly and somehow had enough time to catch every single one of the balls that came her way, whether they came from a high angle or low. She even caught the ball that Jackson tossed at her with a running stance. That earned her a loud round of applause and a whooping cheer from Stiles who yelled out, "That's my best friend! Go, Artemis!"

Artemis felt excited and even a little proud of herself.

Later that day as she and Stiles went through the woods to find her inhaler, she told him what it had been like for her.

"It was completely amazing. It was like that scene in the Spider-Man film, you know, where he's fighting Flash Thompson? Suddenly, I had all the time in the world to catch the balls," said Artemis, as they crossed the forest stream. "And that's not the only weird thing. I can hear, see and smell things that I shouldn't be able to."

"Like what?" asked Stiles, curiously.

"Like, I heard Alison talking on her cell phone to her mom before she came into class today and I can smell the mint gum you've got in your pocket," said Artemis.

"What are you talking about? I don't have any—oh," said Stiles. He'd just checked his pocket and found a spare strip of his favorite mint gum, just as Artemis had said. "This is weird, but the good kind of weird, because you were awesome in practice today. First line's definitely yours, I know it."

Artemis just shrugged. "Thanks, but I won't know for sure until Coach decides after practice tomorrow."

"Don't even worry about it. You've got it," said Stiles, firmly. "So, all this started after you got bit last night, right?"

She nodded. "Part of me is glad this is happening, and the other part of me is really freaked out. What if this is just some kind of infection from whatever bit me and I'm just full of adrenaline until I go into shock or something?"

"I highly doubt you're going into shock or whatever. But I think you do actually have an infection. I've heard of it before. It happens once a month and it's called lycanthropy," said Stiles.

Artemis just rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Stiles," she said. Lycanthropy was a term for the curse of the werewolf.

Stiles made a little wolf howl and laughed as they walked. "It's true, Artemis, you're a freaking awesome werewolf! Good thing I've got lots of silver to melt down, because Friday's a full moon."

Artemis laughed too, but she still shook her head. "You're crazy. Now, help me find my inhaler. It costs eighty bucks and I'd rather not have to tell my mom I have to buy a new one." She frowned when they began rifling through the leaves on the ground, but found nothing. "I could've sworn I dropped it around here." Had she been mistaken? After all, it had been a dark and stormy night when she'd dropped it.

"Why am I not surprised to find you here, Huntress?" said a voice.

Artemis spun around to see that standing before her, was Derek Hale. He looked older, but that was only to be expected. It had been six years, after all, and he was a bit older than Artemis. He was a little taller, his black hair was untidy, he had stubble, and he was completely decked out in black. He even wore a black leather jacket. He was incredibly handsome and the sight of him made Artemis's heart pound.

"Derek? Holy cow, it's great to see you," said Artemis, smiling as she hugged him.

"Likewise," said Derek, returning the smile and the hug. He nodded stiffly at Stiles. "Stilinski."

"Derek," said Stiles.

Stiles and Derek had never been terribly good friends, even though Artemis was good friends with them both. The only reason they even made an effort to even try to get along was because of their shared friendship with her.

"Down boys. Thanks for taking me home last night, Derek. But why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" asked Artemis. "Did you just get into town?"

"It was a spur of the moment decision and I just got here late last night," said Derek. Concern crossed his incredible blue eyes. "How're you feeling, by the way? You were pretty banged up last night when I found you."

"I'm fine. I'm feeling a lot better. We're just looking for my inhaler. I dropped it last night before you found me. Have you seen it?" asked Artemis.

Derek handed Artemis her inhaler after taking it out of his jacket pocket. "I found it this morning. I was on my way to give it to you."

Artemis sighed in relief as she pocketed it. "Thanks. I owe you one."

"Not a problem," said Derek.

"So, are you here long-term or are you just visiting?" asked Artemis.

"Long-term, hopefully. It depends on if my plans pan out," said Derek. "Are you busy Friday night? Perhaps we could catch up then."

"Stiles and I have our movie night on Friday," said Artemis. "But you can come if you want."

"I'll swing by when I can," said Derek. He handed her a slip of paper with a phone number on it. "You can reach me at this number. I'll see you later, Huntress."

"Wow," said Stiles, after Derek had left. "He really is back and he's given you his cell phone number after more or less asking you on a date. I wonder why?"

"Shut up. He was not asking me out. I'll have to ask him about why he's back later, because I've got to get to work," said Artemis, as she stored the number on her phone's speed dial. "Come on, let's go. I don't want to be late for work."

XXX

At the vet clinic's that night, after Artemis had fed the animals and the vet's was closed for the day, she was staying behind to lock up as a favor. She'd just finished sweeping the floors and locking the doors when she decided to redress her bite wound in the bathroom. But when she lifted up her shirt and pulled off the bandage, she was stunned.

"What in the heck?" she muttered.

Her wound was healed. No, not healed, gone. There wasn't even a mark, which was completely impossible. What was going on? Could Stiles be right about the lycanthropy?

A frantic-sounding knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts. She went to the front door to find Alison in hysterics and soaked from the pouring rain of that evening.

"Alison, what's wrong?" asked Artemis.

"It was an accident. I took my eyes off the road for two seconds to change the song on my iPod and this dog just came out of nowhere," said Alison, hysterically.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Alison, calm down, it's okay," soothed Artemis. "Slow down and take a deep breath. Do you have the dog with you or should I send Animal Control to find it?"

"Yes. No. It's in the trunk of my car," said Alison, after she took a moment to calm down.

Artemis followed Alison to her car where she opened the trunk. Inside was a beautiful grey and white wolf-like dog with a blue collar and nametags that was barking and snarling at them. Alison pulled back in fear, but Artemis didn't. Having worked at the vet's for a number of years, she knew how to handle dogs like this.

"It's okay. She's just scared," said Artemis.

"That makes two of us," said Alison.

"Well, let me see what I can do," said Artemis.

Artemis approached the dog and then without even realizing it, her brown eyes flashed gold, making the dog back down and submit. Carefully, Artemis carried the dog inside and placed it on a table and examined it. "She's got a broken leg. My boss taught me how to do splints. I'll give her some painkillers and then make a splint for her leg. She'll be just fine."

Alison sighed in relief. "Thank heavens."

"Hey, if you're cold, the heater's over there and I've got some spare clothes in my bag you can borrow and you can change in the bathroom," said Artemis, noticing Alison kept shivering. Her mom always insisted Artemis pack a change of clothes before she went to work at the vet's.

"You sure you don't mind?" asked Alison, hesitatingly. "I don't want to trouble you."

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I minded. Go right ahead," said Artemis.

"Thanks," said Alison, gratefully. She took out Artemis's spare shirt from her bag and went into the other room to change. A few minutes later, she returned and by then, Artemis had finished treating the dog's leg. "Thanks for doing this. I feel really stupid."

"How come? It was an accident," said Artemis.

"I know, but normally I'm not so reckless and I break down like that. I thought I was tougher than that," said Alison, softly.

"Well, accidents happen and as I once read, '_people don't cry because they're weak. They cry because they've been strong for too long,_'" said Artemis. Because of her panic attacks usually left her a weeping mess, she tried to live by that everyday. "If it helps, I'd probably be a bigger mess if I was in your shoes. Besides, any girl that keeps moving around every few months is pretty strong. I don't think I could do it."

"And yet you play lacrosse which can be pretty violent, deal with people like Jackson and handle frightened dogs," said Alison. "Maybe you're stronger than you think."

"Maybe," said Artemis, shrugging. She seriously doubted it, though. "I know you are, though." Artemis then carefully scooped up the dog into her arms. "Come on girl, we're going to put you somewhere comfortable to sleep and then call your owners in the morning to come pick you up."

Alison followed Artemis to a comfortable cage where she placed the dog and left it some food and water before locking up the cage.

"I'll pay whatever the bill is for helping her, since it was my fault," said Alison. "Hey, are you going to head home now?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Artemis, as she grabbed her keys and bag.

"Can I give you a lift? I noticed you don't have a car and it's still pouring out," said Alison.

"Sure, that'd be great," said Artemis, gratefully.

They ended up singing along to some of their favorite tunes on the radio on the way to Artemis's house and their friendship continued to grow.

XXX

That night, Artemis didn't sleep well.

When she wasn't having nightmares over the night she'd gotten bitten, she ended up sleepwalking through the forest and into a neighbor's pool. The experiences left her with a bad panic attack and she took another anxiety pill before she returned to her house with barely enough time to get ready for school and arrive in time before the bell rang.

The worst was yet to come, as just before practice, Jackson cornered her after she was nearly done changing into her gear.

"Hey, Moon, we need to talk," said Jackson, gruffly.

"Talk about what?" asked Artemis, as she fastened on her glove. She didn't want to talk to Jackson about anything as she didn't like him one bit.

"I want to know where you're getting your juice," said Jackson.

For a brief moment Artemis was confused until she caught onto what Jackson meant. "Jackson, despite what you may think, I'm clean. I don't do that kind of stuff." Typical Jackson. Someone was a little better at him at lacrosse and he automatically assumed it had to be done by a chemical boost. But then again, considering what Artemis was now capable of, she couldn't really blame him for thinking that, now could she? Artemis tried to leave for the field, only for Jackson to let out an angry yell and pin her to a locker.

"Don't lie to me!" he yelled. "There's no way a weak little freak like you is suddenly doing well at lacrosse without some kind of chemical boost! What are you dealing?"

"I'm not!" she yelled. "Get off me, you jerk!" She yanked herself free of him and glared at him. She didn't know what was going on with her, but she was not doing anything illegal and he had no right to accuse her of this when he had no proof. "Believe whatever you want, Jackson, but unless you have proof that I'm doing something wrong, just leave me the heck alone and stay out of my life. I've already had one panic attack today; I don't need another, especially from you!"

Without waiting for a reply, she left the locker room and went to lacrosse practice, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. If she didn't make the cut, she was likely to be benched for the rest of the season again. If she did make the cut, she'd be playing. With her fingers crossed and her heart pounding, Artemis plunged into the game.

She caught the ball a few seconds into it, and began to run, only to be rudely knocked down by Jackson, who just looked both mockingly and smug at her. Feeling seriously angry, Artemis grabbed the ball again at her first chance and began running towards the goalie. She ran faster than she ever thought she could and gracefully avoided the other players in a way she never thought possible. She even did an impressive jump over three of her teammates before she made the shot.

Everyone cheered her on and her teammates all gave her friendly pats on the shoulder while congratulating her success.

"Moon, get over here now!" yelled Coach Finstock.

He didn't sound pleased, which made Artemis wonder if she was in trouble. She ran over to him.

"Yes, Coach?" asked Artemis, bracing herself for a yelling.

"What the heck was that, Moon? This is a lacrosse field! Are you trying out for the gymnastics team?" demanded Coach Finstock.

"No, I was just trying to make the shot," said Artemis, wincing. Had she done something wrong?

Coach Finstock's face lit up with a smile. "Well, you made more than just the shot, Moon. You've made first line!"

Artemis's heart leapt as people cheered her on. She'd just made first line. Things really were going to be different after all. She looked at Stiles in the bleachers, expecting him to look pleased or at least that he'd come congratulate her, but Stiles just looked petrified and even worried.

XXX

The following evening was Friday night movie night and it was held at Stiles' house.

Artemis arrived with the promised pie and ice-cream along with their movies for the evening. She found Stiles holed up in his bedroom, looking over a website on werewolves on his laptop and there were papers on werewolves all over Stiles' bedroom. What was all this about?

"Hey, ready for our movie night? Derek's coming by in half an hour and I've got the pie that I promised you," said Artemis. She frowned at his research. "Should I have brought a werewolf movie?"

Stiles immediately shut off his computer. "No, and we're going to have to cancel tonight's plans."

"Cancel? Why?" asked Artemis, surprised. She'd been looking forward to their weekly tradition as a way of celebrating her getting first line.

"Remember that joke from before? It's not a joke anymore. The coroner says a wolf did kill that girl and after everything I've been reading in these books and on the internet, I seriously think you're a lycanthrope," said Stiles.

Artemis rolled her eyes. Seriously, he was going to do this? "I'm not a werewolf, Stiles. How much Adderall have you had today?"

"Artemis, think about it! You were bitten on a full moon, your bite's completely healed, you're doing impossible things, you don't need your inhaler anymore. A wolf howls to signal the rest of the pack and you heard a wolf howling! I saw you on the field today and what you did wasn't just incredible, it was impossible! Your speed, your moves, your reflexes are not something that happen overnight!" said Stiles, insistently. "And it's not just the moon that'll cause you to change, anger and a high heart rate triggers it too!"

"Stiles, do you even hear yourself right now?" said Artemis.

Apparently he didn't. He tried to snatch her cell phone away from her, but she stopped him. "What're you doing?"

"We've got to tell Derek not to come tonight and get you somewhere safe. It's full moon tonight!" said Stiles.

Now Artemis was angry. She couldn't believe he was acting like this. First Jackson thought her success was because of something unnatural and now Stiles thought the same? And he was her best friend! Was it really so hard for people to believe she could succeed at something without illegal or supernatural help?

"Stiles, you're completely insane. There's no such thing as werewolves! You know, I can't believe you're doing this. Everything's going great for me for once and you're being completely childish and beyond rude. I'm not a werewolf and this is all insane. I'm going home. You can talk to me when you've grown up," said Artemis, furiously.

"Artemis, wait, just listen to me!"

But Artemis wasn't in the mood to listen. She just grabbed her things and left Stiles' house in a huff, angry and hurt by her best friend's actions.

XXX

Since her mom was doing a late-night shift at the hospital, Artemis ended up calling Alison to vent and talk about her problems as she really needed someone to talk to or she was going to go nuts. Since her problem related to guys and Derek didn't really like Stiles, she didn't think it best to talk to him about it, other than telling him the movie night was canceled. While Artemis didn't tell Alison that Stiles thought she was a werewolf, (as that was just completely insane) she did say they'd gotten into a big fight. Alison was sympathetic and a good listener.

"…and to top it all off, Jackson thinks I'm playing juiced. Can you believe that?" said Artemis.

"What a jerk," said Alison, sympathetically.

"I know. I mean, I practice over the summer, get a few lucky shots in and finally make first line, and he acts like I'm stealing the spotlight from him, even though he's still the captain and the school's favorite whereas I'm just a girl who got lucky. And I don't know what I'm going to do about Stiles," said Artemis, sighing. She and Stiles had never fought like that before and she hated it.

"Look, don't worry about Stiles. Give it a day or two and I'm sure you two will be back to being best friend again," said Alison. "As for Jackson, just ignore him and if he harasses you, tell someone about him."

"I will," said Artemis. She already had half a mind to complain to Sheriff Stilinski about him. "Hey, thanks for listening to me. It means a lot."

"It's not a problem. Besides, you helped me out when I was in hysterics over hitting that dog. It's what friends are for," said Alison.

"Thanks," said Artemis. She sighed again. "I hope you're right about Stiles. I'm just so mad at him right now. I…" Artemis stopped when she began to feel very strange in ways she couldn't explain. She felt as though something was seriously wrong. "Alison, I've got to go. I'll call you back."

She quickly hung up the phone and ran into the bathroom as pain such as she never knew threatened to swallow her whole.

Much to her horror, her fingernails were turning into big, sharp, yellow claws. Fangs were growing in her mouth and her eyes were turning gold. She could feel herself changing, she felt her anger and pure instincts start to take over and she began to lose herself as she changed from human to something else entirely. Stiles was right. She wasn't human anymore.

"Artemis!" yelled Stiles, as he pounded on her bedroom door.

_Stiles. _She couldn't let him in. She felt like a pure animal. She felt like killing something. She felt like a monster. What if she hurt him? She opened the door the smallest crack. "Stiles, what're you doing here? You shouldn't be here."

"I had to see if you were okay! Come on, let me in," said Stiles, as he struggled to open the door. But Artemis kept him firmly out.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you and didn't believe you, but I can't let you in. You need to stay away from me," said Artemis.

"Our fight's not important and I'm not leaving you alone, Arty," said Stiles, firmly. "I trust you, even if you don't. Let me in!"

"Stiles, if you want to stay alive, you'll stay away from me!" yelled Artemis. She shut the door and locked it before she fully wolfed out and saw red—almost literally. She then leapt out of her open window and ran out into the woods.

She wasn't simple sweet Artemis Moon in that moment. In that moment, she was just an animal with little thought as to what she was doing. She felt free, she felt powerful, she felt strong in ways that she never thought she could. She kept running, enjoying the exhilarating feeling of freedom and speed until she stopped in her tracks. Derek's jacket was hanging on a tree branch.

_Derek…_

Memories of Derek flashed through her mind and she began to relax a little. She thought of all the good times they'd shared together and the fantasy of her protecting him or him protecting her like in the storybooks. Derek was everything to her.

Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind and held tight. She struggled until a voice hissed, "Calm down, Huntress, it's me!"

Artemis stopped struggling and relaxed. "Derek?" she said. What was he doing here? She could tell he was just like her, judging from his scent, but unlike her, he seemed to have perfect control. He was still in human form.

"You've got to relax and be quiet, Artemis or you're going to get us both caught," said Derek, as he released her. He faced her and his eyes briefly flashed bright blue. Suddenly, he sniffed the air and let out a growl. "It's too late. They're already here. Run!"

Artemis had no time to question him or react before they both took off in separate directions, only for Artemis to get caught when she was hit by an arrow in the arm. She let out a cry of pain as she tried to undo the damage. She could see three figures in the dark. Two of them had shotguns and the third was aiming a crossbow at her.

Artemis braced herself for an attack, only to be both shocked and relieved when Derek returned. He flung two of the men into trees, which distracted the third before he freed Artemis.

They then took off into the woods and only stopped when Artemis tripped and fell into Derek's arms. He held her close as she shifted back into human form and comforted her as she shook from fear. Who could blame her for being scared? She'd just turned into a monster and people had tried to kill her! She felt like she was going to throw up, but Derek managed to help her.

"It's okay, you're okay now," he murmured, as he stroked her hair. "I've got you. You're safe."

Artemis just buried her face in his shirt as she slowly calmed down. She felt better with Derek there as somehow, Derek always made her feel safe.

"Who were those people?" she asked. "Why were they trying to kill me?"

"They were hunters," said Derek. "They've been hunting our kind for centuries."

"Our kind?" she whispered. _Please, don't say it. Please don't say that we're what I think we are._

"Werewolves," said Derek, confirming her worst fears. "You're just like me now."

Artemis's blood ran cold. She couldn't deny it anymore. Like it or not, she was a lycanthrope. She was no longer human. "Why me? I didn't want this."

"It's not that bad, Huntress," said Derek. "You can see better, hear more clearly, move faster than any human ever could hope. You've been given a gift. I'll help you learn how to control it. But we've got to stick together. Understand?"

Artemis nodded. She understood perfectly.

"Good. Now, come on. I'll take you home. You should be able to sleep now."

Derek took Artemis back to her house and stayed with her until she fell asleep.

XXX

The next day after Artemis's mom had left for work, Stiles came over to check on Artemis and she told him what had happened the previous night during her first full moon. He found Artemis's lycanthropy the coolest thing since _Star Wars _and was also concerned for her.

"So, you think Derek's the one that bit you and killed that girl?" asked Stiles.

"I don't know what to think," she admitted. She didn't want to believe Derek would do this to her. His werewolf eyes had been blue, not red like the eyes of the wolf that had bitten her, but he was the only other werewolf she knew of. What else was she to think?

"You know what scares me the most?" asked Artemis. "Part of me liked it all, what I was capable of, what I was thinking of doing." That terrified her, knowing she'd enjoyed being a mindless freak for a little while.

"That's because you weren't really yourself last night. But we'll find a way to get past that. If Derek can be in control on a full moon, then so can you. Heck, if I have to chain you up myself on full moons and feed you live mice, I will. I had a pet snake once, I can do it," said Stiles, squeezing her shoulder.

In spite of it all, Artemis smiled and laughed, feeling a little better. "Stiles, have I ever told you that you're the best friend anyone could ask for?"

Stiles smiled back. "Not as often as I'd like. But you make it up to me by splitting that pie you got for our movie night and having a Saturday movie morning to celebrate your lycanthropy and lacrosse success."

"Sure," said Artemis. She rose up to get the pie and get some movies ready to play, only to go to the door when the doorbell rang. "Alison, hi. What're you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay. You never called me back and you sounded awful on the phone," said Alison, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Let's just say my dinner didn't agree with me," lied Artemis. She couldn't tell Alison that the real reason she'd hung up so abruptly was because she'd wolfed out for the first time. "I'm sorry for not calling you back. I just didn't feel well and pretty much passed out afterward."

"I understand," said Alison. "Well, I've got to go. My dad's waiting for me in the car. So, I'll see you at school on Monday?"

"Yeah, of course," said Artemis.

"Okay, then. Bye," said Alison.

Artemis watched Alison get into her car and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the driver and recognized Alison's father as the hunter who'd shot her with a crossbow.


	2. Second Chance at First Line

Second Chance at First Line

Artemis walked back into her house in a stunned daze. She closed the door and slid down to the floor, feeling as though she was about to be ill.

_Alison's father is a hunter. Alison's father tried to kill me. _Did that mean Alison was a hunter too? Did she know Artemis's secret? If she continued to be Alison's friend, would the hunters learn her secret and try to kill her? She found herself beginning to hyperventilate as her heart raced like a train in complete and utter fear.

"Artemis? Hey, Arty, talk to me!" said Stiles, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You're having a panic attack. Take these and try to calm down."

He handed Artemis her pills and a glass of water, which she took in one big gulp.

"What happened?" asked Stiles, when she began to calm down.

"Remember how I said I was attacked by hunters last night? Well, I just recognized Alison's father as the one who shot me with a crossbow!" said Artemis. She ran her fingers through her hair as Stiles looked stunned. "He tried to kill me!"

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down. Did her dad recognize you?"

She shook her head.

"No, but what if Alison knows my secret? What if she's one of them?"

"If her dad didn't recognize you, I don't see how she could possibly know, much less be a hunter," said Stiles. "Look, just relax. We'll figure something out."

Artemis could only hope he was right.

He helped her to stand up. "Come on, let's just relax and focus on our fun. We'll watch some movies, eat some pie, maybe study a bit and we'll just worry about all this stuff later."

XXX

However, they ended up worrying about Artemis's lycanthropy much earlier than expected.

The following Monday during lacrosse practice, Jackson and Coach Finstock made everything worse. Artemis was trying to take a shot when Jackson hit her painfully in the stomach and sneered at her and then the coach mocked her by challenging her to move faster than his dead grandmother.

The end result was Artemis redoing her shot and not only nailing Jackson so hard she damaged his shoulder on accident, but the anger and her raging pulse triggered her change. She found herself on her knees, clutching her stomach feeling her wolf side beginning to emerge.

"Artemis, what's wrong?" asked Stiles.

"Get me out of here, Stiles. I can't control it," whispered Artemis. Her eyes were turning gold and she felt her fangs emerging in her mouth. "It's happening, now!"

"Oh, crap," said Stiles.

He slung her arm around his shoulders and quickly got her into the locker room where he helped her shed most of her lacrosse gear before she bared her werewolf face at him. She'd completely lost control of herself.

"STILES, GET AWAY FROM ME!" she yelled.

Stiles looked terrified and began to run as Artemis acted like the animal she was, stalking him like he was her prey. She ran across the tops of the lockers and even the bars across the ceiling as she let out an animal roar. She'd almost caught him when Stiles managed to grab the fire extinguisher on the wall and sprayed its contents on her. Moments later, Artemis yanked off her lacrosse helmet and ended up backing away into a corner, looking terrified and ashamed.

"Artemis?" said Stiles, hesitantly. "You okay?"

Artemis shook her head as tears pooled in her eyes. "Stiles, I'm slipping away and I don't like it," she said, as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Kill me…please." It was a terrible thing to ask of him, but she didn't trust herself. She was scared to death of what she was capable of, now that she was a werewolf, and she trusted Stiles more than anyone, except for Derek and since she was in hysterics, she didn't know what else to do.

"No, I'm not going to do that, Artemis," said Stiles, firmly. "You know why? Because we're going to get through this, together. Derek and I are going to be here for you. What's our favorite T.V. quote? 'Family don't end in blood.' Well, you're family to me and I'm going to help you with this, I promise. We'll get through this."

Artemis just hugged him and tried to calm down.

"We need to figure out a way for you to control your anger and keep your heart rate low. That's what triggers the changes," said Stiles.

"Then there's only one thing to do. I have to quit lacrosse," said Artemis. She hated the idea of giving up the sport she loved especially since she was finally playing first line in Saturday's game, but what choice did she have? She couldn't risk getting someone killed during a game and exposing her secret. There was no question of it. She had to quit lacrosse.

XXX

However, her plans to quit fell through, thanks to her pig of a coach.

It didn't help that word somehow reached Lydia Martin's ears that she wanted to quit. Lydia gave her an earful and made her day a living nightmare over her decision, by venting over how she was dating the captain of the winning lacrosse team and thanks to Artemis, they might not even win for once, and if Artemis didn't play and ensured their success, she would be dating the captain of a losing team and she didn't date losers. It went on and on all day and Artemis ended up collapsing on her bed at the end of the day, feeling like an emotion train wreck.

"Knock-knock," said Melissa, Artemis's mother as she entered the room. "I've got to pull another late-night shift at the hospital tonight, but the good news is, I'll be able to take Saturday off for your first game."

"You don't have to do that," said Artemis, as she sat up.

"I know, but I want to. I'm not missing my little girl's first game," said Melissa. "Besides, one little shift won't break us." She then looked concerned and sat by Artemis on the bed. "Honey, what's wrong? You look like you haven't slept in days. Are your panic attacks getting worse?"

"No, they're not getting worse," lied Artemis.

"Is it guy trouble? I heard Derek was back."

Artemis shook her head. "No, it's not guy trouble. Derek wouldn't even consider dating me anyway, and we're just friends. It's just stress from school, that's all and I'm petrified over my game on Saturday. I'm scared I'm going to mess everything up." It wasn't a total lie as high school was torture and she was worried about her lacrosse game.

Melissa looked sympathetic and wrapped an arm around her as Artemis leaned into her shoulder. "Oh, sweetheart, I know high school and sports can be stressful, but everything's going to be okay, I promise. You just need to relax and you'll be amazing in your game, I know it."

"Thanks, Mom," said Artemis, as they hugged. She was starting to feel better already. "What would I do without you?"

Melissa kissed her head. "That's what I'm here for. Now try and relax. I've got to go to work now, but if you need anything, just call me or come see me, okay?"

"Okay," said Artemis. She was really glad she had a mom like that. Melissa seemed to make everything better.

When Melissa had gone, Artemis got online and talked to Stiles over Skype. "So, what's the word on Jackson?"

"Not good. He's got a separated shoulder and he's ticked off at you big-time," said Stiles. "They don't know if he's going to play yet."

Artemis groaned. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

"It's not your fault. He was asking for it after he hit you like that today," said Stiles. "He's lucky Derek wasn't there, otherwise he would've given Jackson something worse than a bad shoulder."

"True," said Artemis. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but Jackson had been asking for some kind of punishment. And Derek had a protective streak in him, particularly when it came to Artemis. Once, he'd heard someone had made fun of Artemis and said someone had ended up with a black eye and broken nose. "Let me guess, they're still counting on me for Saturday?"

Stiles grimly nodded as Artemis sighed in exasperation.

Artemis then frowned as Stiles looked a little alarmed. "Stiles, what is it?"

Stiles didn't reply verbally. He typed up an answer that read, "_It looks like there's someone behind you._"

"What in the heck…?" She spun around to see Derek, looking far from pleased. "Derek, what're you doing here?" She didn't even have to ask how he'd gotten in.

"We need to talk. Now," said Derek. His tone didn't invite argument.

Artemis rose up from her chair. "Talk about what?"

"I saw you on the field today. You shifted in front of them," he growled. "You could've gotten yourself exposed!"

"I know. It was an accident, alright? Stiles got me away before anyone noticed," said Artemis. She understood why he was angry, but he didn't have to take it out on her. "Nobody saw anything, and I'm not trying to expose us, I swear."

"Regardless, you need to watch it, because if one of us gets caught, we both do," said Derek. "I'm trying to look out for you, but I can't help you if you don't take precautions! I don't want to see you get killed! You need to get out of Saturday's game."

"Do you think I haven't tried? I told my coach that I'd changed my mind and wanted to quit because I had issues with aggression and do you know what he said? He said he wasn't about to lose his new star player. Also, he said if I quit the team, he'd find a way to flunk me and get me kicked out of school. I don't have a choice but to play," said Artemis, irritated. If she quit, she'd get kicked out of school. If she played, she might shift on the field. It was a lose-lose situation.

"Remind me to kill your coach after I deal with that jerk who hurt you," said Derek. Artemis couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "Why don't you just tell someone he's blackmailing you?"

"Who would believe me? Lacrosse is everyone's brains here and that man's part of the reason this team even has a shot of getting into the championships. No one would listen to me," said Artemis, angrily. It was harsh but true.

"Well, we can't have you shifting in the middle of the game."

"So, what do you propose we do? I can't get out of it. I tried," said Artemis.

"There's one thing we can try. I'll be there at your game. Listen only to my voice while you're playing the game, got it?"

"Got it," said Artemis. She didn't have the slightest idea how it would help, but what choice did she have? "And Derek, if I lose it, I'd rather it was you that dealt with me instead of the hunters."

"Hopefully, it won't come to that. Remember what I said, Huntress," said Derek, before he disappeared from the room, leaving Artemis feeling a little shaken.

XXX

The rest of the week flew by with Artemis working on controlling her inner wolf with yoga, tai-chi and Derek's help and trying to ignore Jackson and Lydia. She was stressed out of her mind with worry over the game while trying to keep her grades steady. It was a nightmare, one she could not wake up from at all.

On Friday, Artemis was at her locker when Stiles came up to her and pulled her over to a corner where they could see Sheriff Stilinski and his deputy talking to the school's principal.

"Let me guess, you want me to find out what they're talking about," guessed Artemis.

"If you don't mind," said Stiles.

"Okay, fine. Just be quiet," said Artemis. Carefully, she managed to tune out everyone else's voices and listen to what those three men were saying.

"…want everyone under the age of eighteen in their home by nine-thirty p.m.," said Sheriff Stilinski. "We'd like to institute the curfew effective immediately."

Artemis turned to Stiles. "They're going to order a curfew because of the murder."

Stiles looked exasperated. "Unbelievable," he said. "My dad's out looking for a rabid animal while the jerk-off who actually killed the girl is still out there, just doing whatever the heck he wants."

"Would you keep your voice down?" hissed Artemis. "We can't tell anyone he's a werewolf and we don't know if Derek actually killed that girl or not. The wolf I saw had red eyes and Derek's are blue when he turns. Besides, how would anyone explain how Derek did anything if there are wolf hairs on the body?"

"Simple, we find other evidence on the other half," said Stiles.

Artemis groaned. She knew that look on his face all too well. "Stiles, we're not going out on another crazy stunt! I got bitten by a werewolf last time, remember?"

"All the more reason to find out who or what killed that girl," said Stiles. "Come on, don't you want to find out for sure if Derek's the one who bit you and caused all this?"

"Yeah, but—"

"No buts," interrupted Stiles. "We're going out tonight and I'm going to need your wolf skills. I'll be at your house after dark. Be ready to go when I get there."

Artemis sighed in exasperation as Stiles took off before she could stop him. How did she get herself into these messes?

XXX

That night, Artemis and Stiles went to the Beacon Hills Hospital. Stiles had a shovel in his trunk and some other supplies.

While Stiles kept a lookout, Artemis snuck into the morgue and got a scent off the body. Soon after, they went into the woods and Artemis followed the scent to the last placed she'd wanted to find it—under a freshly dug grave behind Derek's burnt down old property. It was not looking good. And something smelled strange, but what, Artemis didn't know.

After what seemed like an eternity of digging, they found something they hadn't expected to find. Tightly knotted twine around a wolf's body. The sight of it made them both scream like little girls as they jumped away from it.

"What the flaming heck—?" exclaimed Stiles. "I thought you said the scent led here!"

"I did! It does! And I also said something smelled different," argued Artemis. She wrinkled her nose. "What's that stench?" Something smelled unpleasantly strong and it was making Artemis's stomach churn.

Stiles looked around and then his eyes widened when he saw a blue flower. "Holy crap," he gasped. "Look at that flower. I think it's wolfsbane."

"Wolfsbane?" repeated Artemis. No wonder she felt sick. In all the stories, wolfsbane, otherwise known as aconite or monkshood, was either poisonous to her kind or acted as a repellent against werewolves. "Would you get rid of it, then? It's making me sick and I feel like I need my inhaler again." Not only that, but she could feel the familiar tingles of her wolf side.

"Sure. Just give me a second," said Stiles. He rose up and yanked it out of the ground, only to find it was tied to something. The more Stiles pulled, the more rope he found laced with more blossoms and it emerged into a large spiral.

Artemis then rose up in horror as the wolf's body shifted into that of the girl's she saw before. "Oh my…Stiles!"

Stiles looked equally horrified and sickened. "Holy crap," he said. "Well, I guess we can call my dad now."

"Hold on a second. Something's not right," said Artemis. Why did this girl seem so familiar? Artemis carefully reached down and was about to touch her hair, only to pull back when she was hit with a flash of memories. She saw Derek finding the girl, howling in pain before burying her with angry tears streaming down his face.

"Whoa, what just happened?" asked Stiles, after she inhaled sharply.

"Ask me again later," said Artemis, as she drew in a shaky breath. How in the heck had she'd just seen Derek's memories? Was it a wolf thing? "I know who this is." She felt stupid for not recognizing her before. "It's Laura Hale."

"Laura Hale as in Derek's sister?" asked Stiles, as his eyes widened.

Artemis nodded. Laura Hale had been one of Artemis's friends before she and Derek moved away after the Hale Fire. They hadn't been close, but Artemis had liked her and had been deeply envious of Laura's large family and the closeness she shared with them as Artemis had craved something like that for years.

"That's it, I'm calling my dad," said Stile, grabbing his cellphone.

"Stiles, no," said Artemis, grabbing his wrist. "Something doesn't feel right. I saw what Derek was like with his sister. He was protective of her; he cared about her, the whole shebang. He buried her with love and grief. There's no way he murdered. I know it."

"Well, if he didn't, then who did?" asked Stiles. "Another werewolf?"

Artemis swallowed painfully. "Maybe. There are bite marks and some other scent on the body." She rose up. "Let's just rebury her as we found her. I'll talk to Derek later and see if I can get some answers."

Stiles looked as if he wanted to argue, but he kept his mouth shut as they left the scene exactly as they'd found it.

XXX

The following morning, Artemis searched every website she could find, but there was nothing on wolfsbane being used for lycanthrope burial rituals. Every website said the same thing: wolfsbane was deadly if anyone ingested it, werewolf or human, but the reactions were worse for her kind.

In the locker room before the game, despite Stiles' assurances all would be fine, Artemis felt nervous as a jack rabbit and tried to keep herself calm with some breathing exercises. Jackson was only going to play for a few minutes because of his shoulder, and the rest of the game depended on Artemis. Part of her did want to do this as she wanted at least a semi-normal life. And part of her wanted to just bolt then and there. Right before she was to play, she found a note in her locker from Derek saying one thing:

**Remember what I told you, Huntress**

**I will be watching you the whole time**

**Listen to my voice during the game**

**ONLY my voice, nothing else**

**Stay safe**

—**D.**

Artemis felt a little comforted. _It's nice to know he's looking out for me._

Bracing herself, Artemis grabbed her lacrosse net and went out onto the field with the rest of her teammates, not knowing what was going to happen.

She put on a smile and waved at her mom and Alison when she saw them waving at her from the bleachers, but inside she was scared to death. How was it that the thing she'd wanted for so long now, to finally have a shot at playing the sport she loved, was now the thing she wished she was no longer a part of? Simple: she was bitten by a werewolf and her life became completely insane.

The dreaded whistle blew as the opposing team came onto the field and then the two lacrosse captains met with each other. The ball then went into the air, tossed from player to player on Artemis's team until another teammate failed to catch it in time. Artemis then spotted the ball on the grass.

"Artemis," said Derek. He sounded as though he was right there with her, but she didn't have a clue where he was. "Listen to me. Block out all other sounds. Listen only to me and just focus on what you see. Do as I tell you. Grab the ball."

Artemis did as she was told and ran for the ball.

"The captain's going to nail you in the side, dodge him now!"

Artemis barely dodged Jackson's attempt to ram into her in time before she snatched up the ball with her net and scored. She felt a little satisfied with herself as everyone cheered, until she overheard Jackson angrily telling his most loyal packdogs not to pass the ball to her.

Fury threatened to overwhelm her as she felt her fangs extend and her eyes change until she heard Derek talk to her again.

"Artemis, ignore them and only listen to me. Focus on what you see and the sound of my voice," said Derek, sharply. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Derek," she whispered. _Stay focused. Stay focused!_

Halfway into the game, there had been no shifting on Artemis's part and no one was hurt, except for Jackson's ego, but Artemis's team was down by two points. They needed a few more points to secure a win or Lydia was going to make Artemis's life miserable.

"As soon as the ball's up, get it," said Derek.

Artemis tightened her grip on her net as the ball went up into the air again. It soared above them and nearly fell on the opposing team, but Artemis did a fantastic move that landed her the ball and then she ran. She avoided those who opposed her with great speed and reflexes, and then scored another shot. This time, everyone stood up and cheered her on and the coach even yelled for her teammates to pass the ball to Artemis.

Soon, one of the boys on the opposing team passed Artemis the ball as she'd accidentally scared him with her wolf face as her aggression was starting to overcome her control. She grabbed the ball with her net and flung it so hard, it ripped a hole in the goalie's net.

"Artemis, stay calm! Relax," said Derek, as Artemis struggled to maintain control over the next shot. "Calm down. You can do this. I'm here for you, Huntress."

Artemis took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. Slowly, the red she was seeing faded and then as two players from the opposing team came after her from both sides, she didn't even think, she just swung her net and scored the winning goal for her team.

Everyone cheered and celebrations quickly went underway, but instead of joining in her team's cheers and celebrations, Artemis ran straight for the locker room to conceal herself as she was trying and failing to restrain her inner wolf.

She'd already broken a mirror and was now on one of the ceiling beams, acting like a predator after its prey. She cursed herself for being so stupid as to actually play the game that night. She'd restrained herself, yes, but just barely. If she had lost control for even moment, the consequences could've been terrible. Just then, Derek entered the locker room.

"Artemis?" said Derek, as he looked around. "Artemis, it's me. It's Derek. I know you're here. Just come out and talk to me."

_Come out? No. I can't. I don't want to hurt you_.

Despite the amount of control she'd had on the playing field, she still didn't trust herself as she could still feel her inner wolf fighting for control. She didn't want to hurt anyone, especially Derek. If she ever did, she'd never be able to forgive herself. She knew Derek could protect himself, being a more experienced lycanthrope than she, but that didn't mean she couldn't hurt him.

Artemis slowly climbed down, but she couldn't return to human form. Instead of facing Derek, she hid in a corner, trying to conceal herself.

"Artemis," said Derek.

He was right behind her. What the heck was he thinking?

"Derek, please just go away. I don't know if I can control this," said Artemis, softly. "I don't want to hurt you." It was starting to recede, but she still didn't trust herself.

"I'm not leaving you and you're not going to hurt me," said Derek. He placed his hand on her shoulder and his touch made her anger and fear faded away. "Artemis, look at me. Look at me."

Artemis finally turned around and faced him. Her brown gaze met his green one as she slowly shifted from werewolf form to human. How had she just done that? How had she retained so much control just now and before? Was it Derek or was it her?

"This doesn't control you, you control it," he said. "I've known others who were bitten and they made it. You can do this."

"How many? How many made it?" asked Artemis, tearfully. _Please let it be a high number. I really want to know this can be controlled._

"More than I can count," said Derek. He cupped her face in his hands. "I'm going to help you. We're stronger together than we are apart. Stick with me, and we'll get through this."

Artemis sighed in relief. She felt reassured by that. "Okay," she said. Maybe he was right. Maybe she could do this and it wouldn't be so bad. She just needed to stick with him.

They held each other close until Artemis had to return home. As she got into bed that night, she felt far better than she had before. This wasn't going to be easy, but she'd pull through it. She knew it.


	3. Pack Menality

Pack Mentality

Several weeks later, Artemis had yet another sleepless night. She dreamed she was on one of the buses at school with Derek. They were laughing and talking, Derek was even kissing her, and then everything changed. Suddenly, Artemis became a monster and destroyed him while he screamed in terror.

Artemis woke up breathing hard and sweating and feeling as though she couldn't breathe. When she finally calmed down after taking one of her pills, she got ready for school and headed out for the day. When she met up with Stiles at school, she failed to conceal her sleeplessness from him.

"Oh, boy. I know that look. What happened? Did you shift last night?" asked Stiles.

Artemis shook her head. "No, but I had one of the worst nightmares ever." She told him what had happened and he looked sympathetic. "It just felt so real. I woke up scared out of my mind and I couldn't breathe. It gave me another panic attack."

"Yikes. Well, they're serving your favorite ice-cream in the cafeteria today. I'll buy you some and it'll cheer you up a bit," said Stiles.

"Thanks, Stiles." She sighed as she tugged her jacket closer around her. "I never want to have a dream like that again, it was horrible. Do you think this has something to do with Derek coming with me with the others tomorrow?" It had been decided by the Queen, (namely Lydia) that the school's best people should hang out. Lydia was bringing along Jackson, and had insisted that Alison and Artemis come, and not only that, but she wanted Artemis to bring another guy that wasn't Stiles with her. Artemis had tried persuading her to let Stiles come, but Lydia had refused and Artemis was bringing Derek instead. Once she'd mentioned Jackson was going to be there, he'd decided to come as he was still mad about Jackson's treatment of Artemis.

"It sounds likely," admitted Stiles. "It's probably just nerves. I mean, you've had a crush on the guy since forever and now you're more or less going on a date with him."

"Keep your voice down! It's not a date and I do not have a crush on him," hissed Artemis.

"Okay, okay, but honestly, I think it's going to be fine. You're handling your furry little problem amazingly well," said Stiles. "I mean, you've got a teacher, but it's not there's a Lycanthropy for Beginners Class you can take."

"True," admitted Artemis. "Gads, I hope you're right about just being nerves, because if I didn't know any better, I'd think my dream actually happened."

They opened the doors that would lead them outside and where they needed to go, only to stop in their tracks. Artemis felt the blood drain from her face when she saw one of the school buses exactly as how she'd dreamed it—complete with the backdoor being half torn off its hinges and claw marks on the inside—but this time there were cops surrounding it, taking evidence and photographs.

"I think it did," muttered Stiles.

Artemis was on the verge of another panic attack as she pulled out her cell phone and frantically called Derek's number on her speed dial. She then waited anxiously for him to pick up.

"Artemis, calm down, he's probably fine," said Stiles, weakly.

"Then why isn't he answering his phone?" demanded Artemis, as she dialed again. "Oh, gads. Stiles, what if I killed him? What if I killed Derek?"

"Arty, calm down. Derek's a lot stronger and more experienced than you. I highly doubt that you killed him," said Stiles, soothingly. "I'm sure he's fine. It's probably just a coincidence."

Artemis didn't share in Stiles' belief. All she knew was her heart was racing and she might've just killed one of her best friends. On her third attempt to call Derek, he finally answered.

"_Is there some reason that you're calling me this early in the morning, Huntress?_" said Derek, sounding tired and annoyed. Because he was more of a night owl, he usually wasn't up until ten or noon, and it was only a quarter past seven in the morning.

Artemis heaved a sigh of relief as she went into the janitor's closet and locked the door, allowing her to speak freely. Derek was okay. "I'm sorry if I woke you, but I just had to call you."

"_You had to? Why? Has something happened to you?_" asked Derek, sounding more awake and less annoyed.

"Not exactly," said Artemis. She sighed again. "I had this nightmare where I killed you on one of the buses. The bus is just like I saw in my dream and I was so scared I'd hurt you."

"_Well, you didn't. I've been at my place at night and you never came near me,_" said Derek. "_Just keep yourself calm. I'll look into this and call you back._"

"Okay," said Artemis. "And don't forget, you promised to come with me with Alison and the others."

"_Does Alison Argent _have _to be there?_" said Derek. Artemis knew he'd rather swallow wolfsbane than be near one of the Argents, but he was going through with it for Artemis's sake.

"Yes. Look, I know you don't want to do this, but just be nice, please. I'll make it up to you, I promise. I'll call you when I find out what we're doing," said Artemis. "Oh, and stay safe, okay?"

"_I will if you will. Bye._"

Artemis felt considerably better as she left the janitor's closet and met up with Stiles, who looked eager for news.

"Is he okay?" asked Stiles.

"He's okay," said Artemis. But she still felt a twinge of panic and worry, especially when the principal announced that classes were still ongoing despite the bus incident. "Stiles, if it wasn't Derek I was with on the bus, then who or what was it I attacked?"

"The better question is: what the heck happened?" said Stiles.

But no one could answer their questions.

XXX

Throughout the day, they discussed various theories on what had happened. Stiles thought that Artemis had wolfed out and eaten an animal, but Artemis didn't agree. She couldn't remember all that happened, which made the problem worse. However, the question of who had been attacked was answered during chemistry when they saw a man being taken to an ambulance, apparently attacked by an animal, or a certain she-wolf.

Artemis couldn't touch her food at lunch as she felt sick to her stomach.

"Artemis, you've got to eat. You can't just starve yourself because you think you did something wrong. You don't know you actually hurt that guy," said Stiles.

"I don't _not _know it," countered Artemis. She sighed. "I really thought I was getting some control over this. You think I should cancel my plans for tomorrow?"

"Heck no!" said Stiles, firmly. "Look, if you start canceling your plans now, you're going to be canceling everything good for the rest of your life. Derek said he was going to look into it, so I think that until you have a good reason to panic, don't. Just eat and we'll figure this out."

"I hope so," said Artemis, as she began eating her lunch. She really hated her luck sometimes. Why couldn't she have just one normal day for once in her life?

"Hey, guys," said Alison, smiling as she took her usual seat by Artemis as she now joined them for lunch everyday. Her smile faded to a look of concern. "Artemis, are you okay? You look terrible, no offense."

"None taken," said Artemis. She knew she looked awful. She'd seen how she looked in the mirror: slightly red eyes with bags under them, pale skin and a slightly weepy face. "I'm okay. I just had a really bad night. Nightmares and panic attacks do not mix."

Alison squeezed her shoulder. "Want to talk about it?"

"No, I just want to try and forget it, but thanks," said Artemis, gratefully.

"Forget what?" asked Lydia, as she, Jackson and Danny all took seats by them. That had never happened once in their entire high school career. The popular people were sitting with the geeks.

"Nothing important," said Artemis. The last thing she wanted to talk about to Lydia Martin of all people about was her problems.

"So, did you guys here they're saying an animal attacked that guy?" said Danny, one of the lacrosse players, as he bit into his apple. "Maybe a cougar or a mountain lion?"

"They're the same thing, aren't they?" said Lydia.

"Who cares what it was? The guy's probably a homeless twit who's going to die soon anyway," said Jackson, sounding bored.

_Jackson, just when I think you can't be an even bigger jerk than you already are, you go and prove me wrong as always, _thought Artemis, disgusted. Disregarding a human life was just wrong. How low could Jackson fall?

"Actually, I just found out who it is. Check it out," said Stiles. He showed them his phone, which was broadcasting the news. The victim's name was Garrison Meyers and although he was taken to the hospital, he was in critical condition.

_Why do I know that name? _Then it hit her. "I know that guy. Back when I used to live with my dad, he drove the bus we usually took," she said. She shared a slightly terrified look with Stiles. This was not helping her case.

"Why don't we change the subject?" said Alison, trying to lighten the mood. "What are we doing tomorrow night?"

"I thought bowling would be fun," said Lydia. She looked at Jackson excitedly. "You love to bowl."

"Yeah, when there's actual competition," said Jackson, sneering at Artemis.

_And I like hanging out with people who aren't jerks. But we can't always get what we want in life, now can we? _

"How do you know we're not actual competition?" said Alison, smirking. She turned to Artemis. "You can bowl, right?"

"Yeah, in fact I'm a great bowler," said Artemis, before she could stop herself. That sentence made Stiles wince and look pitying at her.

"Well, in that case, I look forward to the challenge," said Jackson, smugly. "We'll meet at the bowling alley at seven. Who're you bringing with you, Moon?"

"Uh…Derek Hale. He said he'd go with me," said Artemis. _Speaking of which, I'd better text him and tell him what we're doing. _She quickly texted him while Lydia looked interested.

"You're friends with Derek Hale? Is he cute?" asked Lydia.

"Nice try," said Artemis, as she sent off her text message. Derek wasn't just cute, he was gorgeous. But she wasn't about to say that to Lydia.

XXX

Later that day, Artemis rode her bike down to work and met with her boss, Dr. Deaton. He was the best vet in the world (in her opinion) the nicest guy in town and like a father to Artemis.

"Afternoon, Artemis. You having a good day?" he asked, as she hung up her jacket.

"Yes and no," said Artemis. She pointed to the dog he was grooming before the dog's owners came to pick it up. "Want me to take over for a bit or should I go feed the cats?"

"You can finish grooming him," said Dr. Deaton. He was allowing Artemis more freedom with the animals after seeing the splint she'd done for the dog Alison had hit with her car.

Artemis took over just as Sheriff Stilinski showed up with a file in his hands and his German Shepard.

"Hey, I see someone's ready to get their stiches out," said Dr. Deaton, as he helped put the dog onto the table.

"Staying out of trouble, Artemis?" teased Sheriff Stilinski.

Artemis just smiled. "Absolutely, Sheriff. Scout's honor," she joked. But since she'd never been a scot, that was a total lie.

Sheriff Stilinski laughed before turning to her boss. "While I'm here, would you mind taking a look at those pictures I was telling you about? Sacramento still can't determine an animal."

Artemis's heart skipped a beat. _The crime scene photos! _She maintained a calm composure as she listened to their conversation.

"No, not at all," said Dr. Deaton. "But I'm not actually an expert." He looked through the photos. "This is the guy who was attacked on the bus?" When the Sheriff nodded, he continued. "Well, I don't think it was a wolf. Wolves haven't been in this state for sixty years, and while they can be migratory and have excellent memories, the animal that attacked this man was not a wolf. There are a claw marks on the man's face and a wolf would've gone for the throat or the spinal cord with its teeth."

"So, you think it's a mountain lion?" said Sheriff Stilinski.

"I don't know. Maybe."

Artemis couldn't believe it when she heard her boss's heart rate change. _He's lying. Why is he lying? Does he know about werewolves? Is he trying to protect me?_

"A wolf could chase down its prey by grabbing at the ankles and then the throat, but it's unlikely," said Dr. Deaton.

Artemis was stunned and finished grooming the dog before she went to feed the cats and see to the other animals. Her boss had given her a lot to think about.

XXX

As soon as she had the chance, she went to Derek's old house.

Somehow, she just knew he was living there and knew that was where she'd find him. "Derek?" she called out, as she climbed up the front steps. "If you're here, we have to talk. I need your help."

The front door swung open, revealing Derek.

"I was just about to call you," said Derek. "I assume this is about last night?"

Artemis nodded. "I think I hurt that guy. Is there anyway I could know for sure?"

"Yes," said Derek. "I can show you how to remember and I can help you maintain control, even on a full moon, but I'm going to need your help with something afterward."

"My help? With what?" She'd help him if she could, he was her friend and all, but what could he possibly need her for?

"You'll find out," said Derek. "For now, I'm going to help you. Get Stilinski and have him drive us to the school at midnight tonight. From there I want you to go inside the bus. See it, feel it, let your senses remember for you."

"That's it? Just go back and I remember?" said Artemis, skeptically. Somehow, she'd expected something a tad more difficult.

"If you want to remember, yes," said Derek, simply.

"I just want to know if I hurt him," said Artemis, sighing.

Derek shook his head. "No, you want to know if you'll hurt me or Stiles."

Artemis felt a small blush coming on. _How does he always seem to read my mind? _She wouldn't say it aloud, but he was right. She was scared she'd hurt him and Stiles.

XXX

That night, at midnight on the dot, Artemis had Stiles drive her and Derek down to the schoolyard. As Artemis had to enter the bus alone, Stiles was to keep watch while Derek was there in case something nasty showed up.

"Why does it feel like we're Batman, Batgirl and Robin? I don't want to be Robin all the time," complained Stiles.

"Nobody's those three anytime!" said Artemis, as she climbed the fence.

"Not even some of the time?" said Stiles, disappointedly.

"Stilinski, just shut up and keep watch, would you?" said Derek, impatiently.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," said Stiles, throwing up his hands in defeat before walking back in a grumble to his car.

"Go, Artemis," said Derek, when Stiles had gone. "You can do this."

Artemis braced herself as she finished her climb and then she entered the bus. She closed her eyes as she ran her fingers over the leather seats and then the full memories of what had occurred hit her like a ton of bricks.

She'd been asleep in her bed the night of the attack, but had left her home fully wolfed out upon hearing the sound of another wolf howling, despite trying to ignore it twice. The bus driver was being attacked by the wolf who'd bitten her. He was dragging the bus driver away by the ankles as the bus driver reached out and yelled for help. Artemis had tried to help him by throwing a bus seat at the werewolf and then grabbing the bus driver's hands, but the wolf had forced her back by injuring her.

Artemis was snapped out of memory lane when she heard Derek yelling, "Artemis, get out of there now!" and Stiles' car honking.

People were coming. Quickly, she ran out of the bus and did an impressive escape move by jumping onto a car and then using the altitude to leap over the fence before she got into the Stiles' jeep and they drove off before they were caught.

"Where's Derek?" was the first thing out of her mouth as they drove off.

"He said he'd get home another way. That's not important right now. Did you find out what happened? Did it work? Did you attack the driver?" asked Stiles.

Artemis shook her head, feeling happier than she had in a while. "No. I was trying to protect him. There was another werewolf in the bus. The same one who bit me," she said.

Stiles frowned in confusion. "Wait a second, that doesn't make sense. If Derek's the one who turned you and attacked the driver, then why would he help you remember him attacking that guy?"

"I have no freaking clue," said Artemis.

She was just as confused as Stiles was. _Why would Derek help me remember that night? _

"Maybe it's a pack thing. You know, with a gang initiation, you kill the first person you see. Maybe you do the kill together as werewolves," guessed Stiles. "I know it's not the perfect dating experience, but at least it proves you're not a killer and you have some restraint over yourself."

"Yeah," said Artemis. She relaxed a little. "At least I won't hurt you or Derek."

"That too," said Stiles. "And it also means you can relax and have fun tomorrow night."

Artemis chuckled. Trust Stiles to find the silver lining in the cloud.

XXX

The following night, she and Derek went to the bowling alley where Alison, Lydia and Jackson were waiting for them. They were ready to play and eager for a little competition. Lydia and Jackson were already taking their first shot. Or rather, Jackson was helping Lydia toss a gutter ball and then knock over only two pins on her second turn. (Lydia was pretending stink to boost Jackson's ego.)

Artemis had mixed feelings about the evening's plans as she was looking forward to hanging out with Derek and Alison, but she was dreading being with Lydia and Jackson.

"Artemis, when was the last time you went bowling?" asked Derek, as they picked out their balls. "Those three are a tad experienced, especially the Argent girl." Allison had just bowled two strikes in a row with ease.

"Her name is Alison and last time I bowled was at Stiles' birthday party when we were eight," she admitted. "I'm totally going to stink tonight thanks to my big mouth."

"Not necessarily," said Derek, as a sly look crossed his face. He went and whispered something in her ear and then a grin crossed her face. "Let show these geeks a thing or two, shall we?"

"Yeah," said Artemis.

Maybe this would be fun after all.

Artemis sat down with Derek and high-fived Alison when she sat down.

"Great shot. You were awesome," said Artemis.

"Thanks," said Alison, smiling. She reached over and held out her hand to Derek. "You must be Derek. I'm Alison."

"Pleasure," lied Derek, as they shook hands. Derek then turned away from her and didn't spare her a second glance. He sat on Artemis's other side and just kept his gaze on the game.

It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. _At least he's being nice to her. _

"Moon, you're up!" barked Jackson.

"Just breathe. You can do it," whispered Derek, as she stood up.

Artemis took a deep breath as she stood up and picked up her bowling ball. She then focused and tossed her ball. She scored two strikes on her first turn, much to Alison and Derek's pleasure, and the shock of Lydia and Jackson.

"That was great," said Alison, smiling.

Derek even shot her a small smile before he took his turn.

For the rest of the night, Artemis and Derek continued to cream the others, scoring strike after strike for the rest of the game.

"Hey, Jackson, how many strikes are those?" asked Alison, halfway into the game.

"Six in a row," grumbled Jackson, looking severely ticked off.

"It's natural talent and a bit of practice," said Derek, smirking as Artemis chuckled.

Lydia rose up. "Maybe you wouldn't mind sharing a bit of that talent with me, Derek," she said. "I could use a bit of help." She'd been looking at Derek and Artemis all night with a bit of jealousy and something else.

"Actually, Lydia," said Derek, as he wrapped an arm around Artemis's shoulders. "I think you're good. Go for it."

Lydia looked like she'd just swallowed a lemon and shot him a glare before picking up her pink bowling ball. It was the first time a hot guy had ever preferred Artemis over her. This time, Lydia refused Jackson's help and scored a strike all on her own.

Wasn't that just typical?

Once the game was over and Artemis and Derek had won with Alison in second, Artemis went to talk to Jackson while he was taking out his anger on a pinball machine in the bowling alley's arcade.

"Hey, nice shot," said Artemis, when he got the high score on the machine. When he ignored her, she sighed. "Look, Jackson, I know this evening wasn't anything we planned, but we don't have to hate each other all the time." Honestly, she was getting a little tired of it and a small truce really wouldn't be so bad.

"I don't hate you," snapped Jackson. "I just don't believe you. You've got everyone else believing everything's great and normal about you, but I know that's a lie. Something's wrong with you. You cheated tonight, both you and Derek Hale."

_Figures. I try to be nice and it blows up in my face. Why do I even bother? _"How do you cheat in bowling?" She hadn't cheated and neither had Derek, not really.

"I don't know, but both of you are," he growled. "I don't know if you're on steroids or something weirder, my money's on the latter since it's pretty obvious you're a freak, but I will find out. And you want to know something else, you're an idiot for hanging around with Derek Hale. He's cursed and I think he's the one selling you whatever it is you're taking."

"Jackson, I'm sorry that my one bit of success feels like I've stolen something from you and I—"

"Just stuff it, Moon," he interrupted. "I know you're hiding some big secret and I'm going to find out what it is. So, save your lies for someone who'll believe you."

Before she could reply, Jackson stormed off.

XXX

When Artemis returned home that night, Derek had dropped her off and she'd made plans to have some regular hanging out time with Alison, who assured her that hangouts with Jackson and Lydia would be a _very _rare occurrence from then on, for which Artemis was exceedingly grateful. Jackson was a jerk and Lydia was way too smug and self-centered. Alison was nothing like them and really great company.

Upon her arrival, she heard her mother yelling. She ran upstairs in a slight panic, only to relax when she heard another person screaming. She entered her room to find her mother with Stiles, who'd just snuck via Artemis's bedroom window.

"Stiles, what the heck are you doing here?" demanded Melissa, sounding as though she was on the verge of hitting him.

"What am _I _doing? Gads, do either of you even play baseball?" demanded Stiles, beckoning to the bat in Melissa's hands.

"What's going on in here?" asked Artemis, as she switched on the light.

"Artemis, could you please tell your friend to use the front door?" said Melissa.

"Yeah, I tried that once. He just said since we lock the front door, he wouldn't be able to get in," said Artemis.

Melissa sighed in exasperation. "Do either of you even care that there's a police-enforced curfew?"

"No," said Artemis and Stiles, in unison.

"Fine, whatever," said Melissa. She put down the bat and gave Artemis a hug and kiss goodnight. "Sweet dreams, honey. I love you. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night, Mom," said Artemis. "Love you too."

When Melissa had gone to bed, Artemis took a seat across from Stiles, not liking the look on his face. "What's the bad news?"

"My dad left for the hospital fifteen minutes ago, it's the bus driver," said Stiles, grimly. "They say he succumbed to his wounds. He's gone."

"Gone?" repeated Artemis, horrified. The bus driver was dead. But did that mean that—? _No, Derek wouldn't have, he didn't…_

She rose up from her seat.

"What're you doing?" asked Stiles.

"Something I should've done from the start," replied Artemis. Without waiting for a reply, she left the house and ran off into the night.

XXX

Artemis went to Derek's house.

She didn't see him anywhere when she went inside, but she knew he was there. She could feel it.

"Derek, I know you're here and I know can hear me. We need to talk!" said Artemis. "I need answers! I need to know why you did what you did!"

"I didn't do anything," said Derek.

"You're telling me you didn't kill the bus driver?" said Artemis, as she climbed up the stairs, trying to find where his voice was coming from. "Just like you didn't kill your sister? Stiles and I found her buried here with wolfsbane."

"You really believe I'd hurt my own sister?" asked Derek, quietly.

"I don't know what to believe!" said Artemis. She was going out of her mind. "All I know is that both your sister and the bus driver were murdered by a werewolf and you're the only one that I know of besides myself!" She didn't believe Derek had killed Laura, but as for the bus driver, what proof was there that he hadn't done it? She wanted to be wrong so badly, but was she?

"I didn't do anything to either of them," said Derek, angrily. "The bus driver died of his wounds. I never hurt him. Laura was missing and I came here looking for her. I found her dead. She'd been used as bait to catch me!"

Artemis felt a wave of guilt. She could tell that Derek wasn't lying. He hadn't done anything wrong, other than turning her into a werewolf, of course. But that still left quite a few questions she had unanswered.

"Did you want me to be a werewolf?" she asked.

"No. But lycanthropy is a great gift most people would kill for and I like it," said Derek.

Artemis felt angry and had trouble restraining her wolf side. "Enough hiding, Derek! Talk to me face-to-face," she snarled. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Lycanthropy was a gift? Was he completely insane? So far, it'd proven to be only a curse to her.

Right on cue, Derek appeared in front of her. His face was unreadable as he faced her.

Without thinking, she grabbed him and pinned him to the wall by the lapels of his jacket. "I didn't want this! Why'd you do it? If you didn't want me to be a werewolf, then why did you turn me?" she yelled. "Did you just change your mind about it, because lycanthropy's a gift to you? Is that why you bit me?"

"Artemis, I didn't turn you!" said Derek, loudly.

Artemis was completely taken aback and stared at him as she pulled back. "What?"

"I didn't turn you," he repeated. "Do I think lycanthropy is a gift? Yes. Did I want you to have it? No. Because I knew you wouldn't want it. When I came here, I was looking for Laura and I found you in the woods injured and bitten before I found her. It wasn't me that turned you."

Artemis's brow wrinkled in confusion. "But if you didn't turn me, then who did? And why?"

"I don't know _who_ did it. I only know _what_ did it," said Derek. "There's another wolf. It's called an Alpha. It's the most dangerous of our kind, more beast than human. He has the power to make other werewolves and do with them as he will. Laura came here looking for him. I don't think I can find him without you."

"Why me?" she asked.

"Because he's the one who bit you and you're part of his pack now," said Derek. "Most likely, he turned you so he'd be stronger and probably because he saw potential in you. A wolf alone is weak, but a pack is powerful. You and I are just Betas. We can't turn people. He more or less owns you until you're strong enough to fight him off. But if we find him and kill him, he'll be out your life. You'll be free of him forever."

"Forever?" she said. It sounded too good to be true.

"Forever," he promised.

Artemis just leaned into his arms and allowed him to hold her before he took her home.


	4. Magic Bullet

Magic Bullet

Artemis was sound asleep one night when she was awoken by the sound of a werewolf howling in the distance. She immediately recognized that howl not as the Alpha's, but as Derek's and quickly got dressed. Her friend needed her.

Quick as she could, Artemis ran out into the night and arrived downtown at the iron works, just as Christopher Argent arrived. She managed to hide herself before she was spotted and from where she stood, she could see him meeting with some blond woman with an assault rifle.

"Get in the car," said Chris, gruffly.

The woman scowled. "Not even a 'hello. It's nice to see you'?" she said.

"Now's not the time!" he said, impatiently. "Would you put that assault rifle away before we get noticed, already?"

The woman just shook her head and scoffed. "That's the brother I love."

Brother? _Oh, great. Another one of Alison's hunter relatives. Just perfect_. Were they just drawn to Beacon Hills like cats to a barn full of mice?

"Not now Kate," said Chris. "What happened?"

"I was attacked, that's what happened. And the best part is, it wasn't just one mutt. There were two of them," said Kate.

Chris looked interested. "Was one of them the Alpha?"

"I don't know, but one of them tried to kill me," she said.

"You shot him? Kate, one of them is going to lead us to the other. He can't do that if he's dead," said Chris, sounding agitated.

"Well, I can't help kill either of them if one of them kills me first," said Kate, sounding equally annoyed. "The one I shot has forty-eight hours to live, tops."

Artemis's blood ran cold. Had Derek been shot? No, he couldn't have. He healed fast, just like she did. It wasn't possible. Maybe it was the Alpha that Kate had hit.

As soon as the coast was clear, Artemis went in search of Derek, but found nothing. She even called out his name and got no response. Praying that her suspicion was wrong, Artemis returned home and made plans to call Derek the following morning.

XXX

The next day at school, Stiles kept pestering Artemis with questions regarding the Alpha. Ever since Artemis had told Stiles that Derek wasn't the Alpha and hadn't been the one to turn her into a werewolf, he'd been after more information.

During science class, Stiles whispered questions to Artemis and she responded non-verbally. They'd decided since Artemis's hearing was enhanced, Stiles could just whisper to her and she'd respond with simple non-verbal answers unless she had to write out a response. Right now, Artemis was wishing Stiles would just be quiet, because she had a lot on her mind and she wanted to pay attention to their teacher, who was talking while handing out corrected test papers.

"So, if Derek isn't the Alpha, if he's not the one who bit you, then who did?" asked Stiles.

Artemis just shrugged. Derek didn't know and neither did she. But they intended to find out one way or another.

"Did the Alpha kill the bus driver?" asked Stiles.

Artemis nodded. She had no doubt it had been the Alpha.

"Does Alison's dad know about the Alpha?" asked Stiles.

Artemis shrugged yet again and then signaled for him to be quiet when their teacher came up to their desks. Much to Artemis's excitement, she got a B on her science test. Science was Artemis's least-favorite subject and not one of her best ones. She took whatever good grade she could and tried her hardest just to pass the class. Even a grade like a C+ or a B on in science was rare.

Stiles playfully punched her shoulder. "Great going, Arty. I said you'd pass that test with a little help, didn't I?" He'd helped her study for the test.

Artemis nodded and quickly scribbled out a reply on her notebook that read.

_**Yes. I admit it, you were right. You get to pick the movie on our Friday movie night, just like I promised you. **_

Stiles looked excited. "Thanks. So, do you want to have another study session with me after school today?"

Artemis shook her head and wrote out another response.

_**Much as I would love to, I can't. I promised Alison I'd help her study for her English test. I'm going over to her place today.**_

"Okay, but be careful. I know you like finally having a female friend your own age, but remember who her daddy is," said Stiles.

Artemis nodded as she grimaced. How could she possibly forget? She'd finally gained a female friend her own age, and said friend just had to be a hunter's daughter.

_**By the way, have you heard from Derek? He's not answering his phone again and I've been trying to reach him all day.**_

Stiles shook his head. "No, but I'm sure he's fine. I mean, he's _Derek _for crying out loud."

Artemis didn't look convinced, but said nothing as she turned back to the teacher's lesson.

XXX

Meanwhile, Derek was anything but fine.

He'd gotten shot the previous night by a bullet unlike any other. Despite removing it, he was still feeling sick as a dog. (For lack of a better term) His wound wasn't healing, he had a fever, his vision was blurry, his enhanced sense were completely crazy, his head was pounding, pain shot through his wound, his stomach was doing somersaults, he was barely able to restrain his wolf side, and all he could think about was finding Artemis.

Because his phone was charging, he couldn't just call her or he would've known she'd been trying to contact him. He was unable to locate her, and eventually came up to a student at his locker. It was the lacrosse player who kept giving Artemis grief. Derek frowned as he tried to remember the jerk's name. What did Artemis say he was called? Oh, yes, Jackson.

Derek walked up to him as he was shutting his locker. "Where's Artemis Moon?"

Jackson stared at him. "And I should tell you, why?"

"Because I asked you politely and I only do that once," said Derek, impatiently. "Where is she?"

Jackson smirked. "Okay, tough guy. How about I tell you where to find her if you tell me what you're selling her? And if I were you, I'd stop sampling the merchandise. You look wrecked."

Derek stared in confusion for a moment before he realized what Jackson was talking about. No wonder Artemis hated this guy. He chuckled. "You really are a jealous, self-centered little twit, aren't you? You think she's playing lacrosse juiced, just because she's become a better player than you. Well, guess what, dimwit. She's not the type. And since you're obviously useless to me, I'll find her myself."

He tried to leave, only for Jackson to grab his arm.

"No, we're not done here," snarled Jackson.

Derek let out a brief growl before quickly giving Jackson a half-nelson and digging the claws on his right hand into the back of Jackson's neck.

"Don't ever do that to me again or next time I won't be so nice. And if I ever hear of you giving Artemis trouble again, you'll find yourself wishing you'd never met me," hissed Derek, before storming off and leaving Jackson alone.

Derek leaned against the wall and tried to catch his breath as he listened in around the school. After a few moments, he could hear the Argent girl talking to that Lydia chick.

"Artemis is coming over today?" said Lydia.

"Yeah, I need some help studying for my English test and she promised to help," said Alison. "She says English is her best subject."

"Well, it should be, considering she keeps winning the Beacon Hill Poetry Contest," said Lydia.

"Really? She didn't tell me that," said Alison, sounding surprised.

"Artemis isn't one to brag. She's the modest type," said Lydia, smugly.

Derek just scoffed. What did that self-centered little twit know about Artemis? She wasn't even one of Artemis's friends, for heaven's sake! The only reason Lydia had started being so nice to Artemis was because of Artemis's sudden talent on the lacrosse field.

"Well, she's a great friend. She's not like others I've met before. She's like my sister," said Alison.

"So, when's she coming over?"

"Right after school."

Just then, the conversation ended as the school's bell went off, making Derek cringe. The downside of having enhanced hearing meant loud noises could be a tad painful. Quickly collecting himself, Derek went off in search of Artemis now that he knew where to look.

XXX

Artemis had just left the school and was walking over to her bike, when suddenly, she heard several cars honking. When she looked up, she saw Derek standing in front of Stiles' jeep, before he then collapsed right then and there.

_Oh, crap, this isn't good._

Quickly, Artemis ran over to Derek and knelt beside him, just as Stiles joined her.

"Derek, what's wrong?" she asked as she cupped his face in his hands. It wasn't that she didn't like seeing Derek, but he rarely showed up at her school. It was risky and generally they met elsewhere. If he was here, then something must've happened that he needed her help with.

"I was out chasing the Alpha last night and I got shot," he said, sounding weary, as he swallowed painfully. He slowly sat up with Artemis's help and seemed to lean into her arms as she held him.

"He's not looking so good, Arty," said Stiles, looking worried.

Artemis had to agree with Stiles. Derek certainly wasn't looking well at all. His breathing was ragged, he was burning up with fever and he was pale as a corpse. Plus, he even smelled sick and there was some strange yet familiar scent emitting from his arm.

"Why aren't you healing?" asked Artemis.

"I can't," said Derek, growling as he winced. "It was…it was a different kind of bullet."

"A silver bullet?" asked Stiles.

"No, you idiot," hissed Derek. He briefly lifted up his sleeve, revealing a terrible-looking bullet wound with black veins surrounding it.

When the smell hit Artemis's nose, she looked horrified. "Oh, crap," she said. "It's a wolfsbane bullet. That's what the woman who shot you meant when she said you had forty-eight hours to live." She felt terrible. _This is my fault. I should've looked harder for him last night. _

"Woman? What woman?" demanded Derek, sharply.

"One of the Argents. Some blond woman called Kate. She just got into town," said Artemis. Quickly, she took out the spare cloth bandage she held onto for emergencies from her bag nd tightly wrapped it around Derek's wound to try and stop the bleeding. She bit her lip when Derek's eyes flashed their werewolf blue. Wolfsbane has given her a terrible reaction just by being _near_ it. Heaven alone knew what it was doing to Derek in his system. Most likely it was poisoning him. How many times had she heard stories of how wolfsbane affected lycanthropes? "We've got to get you out of here. Stiles, I need you to help me get him into your car."

"Are you serious?" groaned Stiles.

"Stiles!" yelled Artemis. Now really wasn't the time for him to be fussy.

"Okay, okay, sheesh."

Together, they got Derek loaded up into the passenger seat of Stiles' jeep. Artemis reached over and placed her hand on Derek's cheek, smiling a little when he pressed his face into her palm and gently covered her hand with his own.

"I need you to find the bullet she used," said Derek. "Find it and get it to me."

"I will, I will. I've got a study date with Alison in a few minutes. I'll look for the bullet and get it to you, I promise," she said. "Just try and hang on for a while, okay?"

Derek nodded. "Just be as quick as you can."

"Where should I take him to hide out?" asked Stiles. "Should we go to his place?"

"What? No. That's the first place the hunters will look if they're pursuing him. Besides, Derek's in no position to protect himself," said Artemis. "Just hide out in the woods for a while, and if I'm not there in four hours, go to the animal clinic. My boss will be gone by then and there's a spare key behind the dumpster."

"Got it. You so owe me for this, Arty," said Stiles.

"I'll buy you a triple bacon cheeseburger with all the trimmings on Friday," she promised. "Now, get! Now!"

Stiles drove away with Derek, allowing the traffic to cease and then Alison came up to Artemis.

"Hey, what's going on? What was Derek doing here?" asked Alison.

"He just caught a bug when he was out walking and needed Stiles to give him a ride home," said Alison, telling a half-truth.

"Is he going to be okay? From what I saw, he looked pretty awful," said Alison, looking concerned.

"Yeah, he should be fine. It's just a little virus. It'll clear up in a day or two," said Artemis, silently praying she was right about that. If anything happened to Derek, she'd never forgive herself.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think that you and him were together," said Alison, raising an eyebrow. "Are you?"

"What? Me and Derek?" said Artemis, shaking her head. "No, we're not. We're just friends; that's all." Deciding to change the subject, she asked, "So, are we still studying?"

Alison nodded and then a grin crossed her face. "Race you to my place?"

"You're on," said Artemis, grinning.

She went to her bike and quickly unlocked it and grabbed her helmet, but not before she caught a look from Jackson. It was not a good kind of look and it added to Artemis's fear, but she ignored it. She'd deal with Jackson later. Right now, she had bigger problems to deal with than Jackson.

XXX

Alison and Artemis ended up reaching her house at the same time.

"Why am I not surprised you got here the same time I did?" asked Alison, as she unlocked her front door.

"Because I'm an athlete and work out?" said Artemis, making them laugh. She took a quick look around when she came inside the house. "Wow, your house is beautiful. I'd love to live here."

"I like it too, but I'd like it more if I wasn't moving so much," said Alison. "Anyway, come on upstairs. We've got the house to ourselves for a few hours. But I've got to warn you, my room is messy as I haven't quite finished unpacking."

"But haven't you been here for over a month?" _Sheesh. Has it really been that long since this all started? It seems like it was just yesterday._

"Yeah, but I'm taking my time," said Alison. "So, I think with your help, I'll do fine on my English test. Lydia said you keep winning the Beacon Hills Poetry Contest."

Artemis turned red. How in the heck did Lydia know that? "I wish I knew how she knew that. I never turned in any material under my own name."

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't want to be in the spotlight," said Artemis. "It makes me nervous and I get stage fright. With lacrosse, it's not that big of a deal. They just cheer you on after games and stuff, but with contests…"

"You don't have to explain. I totally get it," said Alison. "One time, I was supposed to sing a solo for a school program and I totally fainted in front of everyone. Most embarrassing moment of my life, I kid you not."

Artemis looked sympathetic as they sat on the bed and pulled out their study material. She then frowned in curiosity when she saw a photograph in an open box beside the bed. It was of Alison's father and the woman who'd shot Derek.

"Hey, who's this?" she asked.

"That's my dad's sister, Kate. Although, sometimes she's like my big sister," said Alison. "She's in town for a few weeks and staying with us. She actually used to live here."

"Interesting," said Artemis. _Well, that makes some sense._

"You know, we need some popcorn. I can't study without it. You want anything?" asked Alison, as she rose up.

"Just water, thanks," said Artemis.

"Okay. I'll be right back."

While Alison was gone, Artemis went snooping.

She found Kate's room by following Kate's scent. She easily recognized it as Kate had been upwind of her the previous night. Once she was inside, finding the bag of weapons was easy work. She quickly riffled through Kate's luggage bag and found the box of wolfsbane bullets. Kate had been kind enough to actually label the box. She pocketed one of the bullets, texted to Stiles that she'd found it and would get it to them as soon as she could. She then left the room as she'd found it before returning to Alison's room a few minutes before Alison came up with the popcorn.

After two hours of studying and eating popcorn, the two girls decided to take a break and learn a little more about each other. Alison learned a great deal when they went over some of Alison's old folders. It turned out Alison had tried and failed at several things, including photography, poetry and painting. Her real talent lay elsewhere. Alison took Artemis down to the garage to show her.

"So, I was nationally ranked as a kid and my dad really wanted me to go on, but I didn't really like it," said Alison. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise," said Artemis. She didn't laugh, but no one said she couldn't look a tad freaked out when she saw Alison hoisting up a compound bow. It brought back memories of her first full moon. "Holy crap. Archery's what you're good at?" _No wonder her dad wanted her to go further with it. _"That's amazing."

"Thanks," said Alison. "But you probably won't say that when I show you this." She showed Artemis a locked up case of expensive looking and not to mention deadly, assault rifles. "This is why my family travels so much. My dad sells firearms to law enforcement."

_Well, isn't that just lovely. _She was starting to feel worried. "So, are you planning on joining the family business?"

"Not really. I—"

Just then, the garage door opened to reveal Alison's parents and aunts pulling into the driveway in one of the cars. They emerged with armfuls of groceries.

"Alison, who's your friend?" asked Kate.

"This is my friend, Artemis Moon. Artemis, this is my dad Christopher Argent, my mom Victoria, and my Aunt Kate," said Alison. "Remember, I said I had a study session with her today?"

"Oh, yes, of course. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Moon," said Chris, as they shook hands. "Alison's told us all about you."

"Pleasure's all mine, sir," said Artemis. "And please, just call me Artemis."

"Well, Artemis, would you mind helping unload the groceries?" asked Victoria.

Artemis shook her head. "No. Not at all."

"Good answer," said Kate.

After unloading the groceries, Artemis put her hands in her jean pockets. "Well, I guess I should head home now. I'll see you tomorrow, Alison," said Artemis.

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" asked Kate. "Any friend of Alison's is a friend of ours."

"That's very kind of you, but I couldn't impose," said Artemis. She really couldn't stay. She had to get the bullet to Derek.

"No, no, it's fine. Stay," said Chris. "It'll give us a chance to get to know each other. And call me Chris, please."

Artemis was about to decline again, but the look on their faces made her decide otherwise. She faked a smile. "Okay. Just let me call my mom to let her know."

"Sure. Be quick, though. I'm making my special steak tonight," said Victoria.

Artemis nodded. "Please excuse me." She went into the bathroom, locked the door and switched on the fan before calling Stiles' phone.

"Tell me, you're on your way over here," said Stiles, when he picked up the phone.

"I wish. I can't come right now," said Artemis, grimly.

"What do you mean you can't come now?" asked Stiles.

"I mean Kate and Alison's father just insisted I stay over for dinner while I was trying to leave," said Artemis.

"Did you try telling them no?" asked Derek.

Stiles had the speakerphone on his cell phone on.

"Of course I did! They wouldn't listen. They're really determined to get to know me." _More like make sure their daughter's friend isn't a freaking werewolf and try and find more intel on the Alpha if they possibly can._

"So, what're we supposed to do, then? Just wait until we can get into the animal clinic and then hope you get here in time with the wolfsbane bullet?" said Stiles. "Derek's getting worse and he smells like death."

"Have you got a better idea?" asked Artemis. She sighed. "Look, I don't like this anymore than you do, but what am I supposed to tell them? 'I can't stay for dinner because I have to save one of my best friends from wolfsbane poisoning because you shot him?' If I get myself caught, I can't help."

"Alright, fine. But just get here as quick as you can," said Derek. "Whatever you do, don't get yourself caught."

"As long as you promise not to be dead by the time I get there," said Artemis. She couldn't lose Derek. He was her only hope of overcoming the Alpha and more important, he was one of her best friends. "I've got to go. I'll be there as soon as I can, I promise."

"You'd better," said Stiles, before hanging up.

Artemis then left a message on her mother's voicemail and pocketed her phone before taking a deep breath and going downstairs. _It's just dinner. It'll be fine. _And yet somehow, she didn't believe it herself.

XXX

Dinner was a delicious meal, but Artemis hardly noticed what she was eating as she was stone petrified and no one could blame her. She was a young werewolf having dinner with hunters. While Alison didn't know about the supernatural world, Kate, Chris and Victoria all scared her. While they all seemed to be perfectly nice people, Artemis had seen what they were capable of and feared that one wrong move would get her caught. It didn't help that Victoria was scary-looking.

She hid her fear well during dinner and tried to keep herself calm by thinking of pleasant things. It wasn't easy, as she kept getting texts from Stiles saying that Derek's condition was getting worse and to hurry up with the bullet.

"So, Artemis, Alison tells us you're on the lacrosse team," said Victoria. "I've always been a little curious about it. How do you play?"

"Well, I guess you could say, it's kind of like field hockey, except the sticks have nets," said Artemis. "It's fun. I've been playing for a few years now."

"Yeah, you should've seen her at the first game of the season. She was awesome," said Alison, smiling. "Remember, Dad?"

"Yes, I remember. She shot the winnings score, as I recall," said Chris. "And she managed to rip a hole through the goalie's net, if I'm not mistaken."

Artemis ducked her head in embarrassment. "That was just a lucky shot."

"Well, I wish I could've seen it. Lacrosse sounds like my kind of game. Are there other girls on your team?" asked Kate.

"No, it's just me. They were one player short and not every boy in school wanted to play lacrosse, so they let me join freshmen year," said Artemis. She felt slightly embarrassed because the only reason she even got on the team was because they required one extra player and the only reason she hadn't been benched as per usual was because of her lycanthropy granting her better skills.

"Well, it sounds like you're a better player than those boys, so maybe being the only girl isn't such a bad thing. Do you have any other hobbies, Artemis, besides lacrosse?" asked Kate. "Do you have a job?"

"Yes. I like to go hiking and biking when the weather's nice. And yes, I have a job. I work at the animal clinic part-time during the school year and I make jewelry to sell online during the school holidays," said Artemis.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Alison told us about how you helped her take care of that dog," said Kate. "What's it like working at the vet's?"

"It's not boring. I love animals. I get to help them out, learn more about them and my boss is a really great guy," said Artemis. Artemis's boss was amazing. He was nice, paid her well, gave her nice hours and was always there when she needed fatherly advice.

"Speaking of which, what does your boss think about the animal attacks?" asked Chris, curiously.

Artemis shrugged and tried to keep herself calm. "I think he told the Sheriff he thought it was a mountain lion. I can't be sure though, I was tending to a patient while they were talking and I didn't ask."

Kate just laughed. "That'd have to be a pretty big mountain lion, wouldn't you think?"

"So, you've never dealt with anything particularly dangerous? Like say, a rabid dog?" asked Chris.

Artemis shook her head. "I saw one once, but that was years before I started working at the vet's. And anyway, at my work, we usually just tend to care for cats and dogs, but sometimes there's an odd one in the bunch, like a reptile or a bird. We don't get anything that vicious. If anything that nasty comes in, it's probably when I'm not working there." _My boss wouldn't let me near anything rabid or particularly nasty anyway._

"Interesting," said Kate, as she sipped her drink. "And what about the jewelry business? How did that happen? Have you always made little trinkets?"

"It was just my mom and I did as a hobby when I was younger. When I was eleven, I sold a few of my pieces at the Beacon Hills annual fair and the next thing I knew, I was getting more requests and finally I just started an online business during the summer and winter school holidays. Maybe you've seen my website. It's ." (A/N: not a real website, folks. I just made it up for the story.) 

"Oh, yes, I'm quite familiar with it," said Victoria. She pointed to her crescent moon earrings. "That's where I bought these and where I tend to buy a lot of my jewelry. I must say, I'm astounded to find out who made these lovely pieces. You're quite the craftswoman, aren't you?"

Artemis blushed. "I'm not very talented, Mrs. Argent. But thank-you."

"Modest and gifted, that's a rarity among young people these days," said Chris, smiling.

"How'd you come up with a website name like Huntress of the Moon?" asked Alison. "That's really awesome."

"I didn't. It's an old nickname one of my old friends used to call me that before he moved away a few years ago," said Artemis. It was true. Derek had called her that before he left after the infamous Hale Fire and he still called her that now. "He called me that because my name's 'Artemis Moon' and Artemis is the Goddess of the Moon and of the Hunt in Greek mythology. Afterwards, it seemed like a good name for my website, so I just went with it."

"Quite clever," said Chris.

"So, Artemis, do you have a boyfriend?" asked Victoria.

"Me? No." said Artemis, shaking her head. "One of my best friends is a guy, but he's not my boyfriend."

"That surprises me," said Kate. "A girl like you should have several boys padding after you."

"Well, the guys at my school would tell you differently," said Artemis, as she sipped her drink. "I've never been asked out, not even for a school dance." She'd gone to the dances with Stiles, but he was her best friend, not a boyfriend. Plus, there wasn't anyone at her school she wanted to ask out. The only person she'd consider asking out probably wouldn't even consider it.

"Then someone should knock some sense into those idiots. Maybe I should pay them a little visit," said Kate, making them all laugh.

"Thanks, but no thanks," said Artemis. She wiped her mouth and put her napkin down. "Well, thank you for dinner. It was delicious and I've had a great time, but I really should get going now."

"Do you need a ride to your house?" asked Alison.

"No, thanks. I've got my bike. I'm just going to grab my bag and head out. Thanks again for dinner. I loved it," said Artemis.

Thankfully, no one protested when she went upstairs to retrieve her bag.

Alison was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, looking apologetic. "I'm so sorry about all of that. I know you hate being in the spotlight."

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't so bad. The worst time I was in the spotlight was during my science class when I was ten and my teacher, who was a complete jerk, read aloud everyone's grades on a test. He was really rude about mine, since I didn't do well on that test," said Artemis.

Alison looked sympathetic. "Sorry to hear that. That jerk's not still teaching around here, is he?"

"No. Thankfully, he got fired. Long story," said Artemis. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you," said Alison. "Good-night."

The two friends waved good-bye and then Artemis quickly rode off to the animal clinic, hoping she wasn't too late to save Derek.

XXX

She didn't arrive a moment too soon.

Upon her arrival, she found Stile about to take care of Derek's arm wound permanently.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TWO DOING?" yelled Artemis.

Stiles dropped the veterinarian tool and sighed in relief. "Arty, you just prevented a lifetime of nightmares."

"I'm not even going to ask," said Artemis. She just knew she'd regret it if she did. She took the bullet out of her pocket. "Sorry it took so long, but I got the bullet."

Derek looked relieved and took it from her. He then bit off the top, poured the contents onto the table, burnt them with a match and then pressed the ashes into his wound.

However, he ended up falling onto the floor. Judging by his yells, he was in a great deal of pain. Artemis acted quickly by kneeling at his side and taking his hand into hers.

"Derek, just hold on! Hold on, okay?" said Artemis. "I'm right here. Derek, look at me and breathe through it. It's going to be okay." _It'd better be or I'm going to kill Kate for this, I swear to heaven!_

Derek's grip on her hand was so tight, he nearly broke her hand, but he quit screaming and after a few moments, the bullet wound healed completely.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Aside from the agonizing pain," he said, sarcastically.

"You're-Welcome," said Artemis, as she helped him to stand. "So, now that you're okay, would you mind telling me what the heck's going on between you and the Argents?"

"I wouldn't mind knowing that myself," said Stiles.

"It's not important," said Derek, gruffly.

"Bull shark. Look, like it or not, I'm involved in this and trust is a two-way street, Derek," said Artemis, folding her arms. She was getting fed up with all the secrets. "What is going on? Why do you hate the Argents so much? I know they're hunters, but there's more to it, isn't there?"

Derek looked as if he was about to refuse to say anything, but he seemed to change his mind under the look that Artemis gave him. "Okay, fine. I'll tell you."

"This ought to be good," said Stiles.

"The fire that killed my family wasn't an accident. My family was murdered," said Derek, ignoring Stiles' comment. "They were murdered by the Argents."

Artemis's breath caught in her throat as she remembered that terrible day when the Hale Fire had occurred. She'd spent hours with Derek comforting him and making sure he was okay before he moved away with his sister. She'd had no idea that the fire wasn't accidental. "Why did they do that?"

"Because they're hunters and because my family consisted mainly of werewolves," said Derek. "It was my fault. Kate and I were involved six years ago. I knew she was a hunter, but I was young, naïve and stupid enough to believe she was different. I trusted her, let her get too close. She used me and my family paid the price for my misjudgment with their lives. The hunters claim to have a code, that they only go after adult wolves who prove to be a threat. They lied. One day, while Laura and I were at school, our house was burnt to the ground. There were eleven people trapped in there. Most of them were human and the ones who were wolves hadn't killed anyone in their lives. My uncle Peter Hill, a werewolf, was the only one to escape. He's a burn victim at the hospital and he's been in a coma for six years because of what they did."

"Oh, my gads," gasped Artemis, trying not to picture such a horrific event in her mind. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know." No wonder Derek despised the Argents and distrusted them so much. Her mind thought back to her friend. "But that doesn't mean Alison will be like that. She doesn't even know about any of this."

"Are you really sure of that?" he challenged. "She's a skilled archer and who's to say what'll happen once she finds out the truth of what her family does for a living?"

"Derek…" Artemis sighed. "You know what, just forget it. I don't want to argue anymore. It's been a long day and we're all tired. My mom's pulling a late night shift tonight, so what say we go to my place and I treat you both to some take-out? Meat lovers and pepperoni pizza sound good to you two?"

"That sounds great," said Stiles, as his stomach rumbled.

"Sure," said Derek, as he put on his shirt and jacket.

During dinner that evening, one question kept plaguing Artemis's mind. She didn't doubt that the Argents had to have been involved in the Hale Fire as no one else had known about Derek's family being lycanthropes. But had all the Argents been involved with the Hale Fire or had it just been Kate?


	5. The Tell

The Tell

Artemis found herself being awakened one night when someone shook her shoulder.

Yawning, she sat up and blinked as her vision cleared and she saw Derek in her bedroom. She wasn't even going to ask how he'd gotten in.

"Derek, it's ten-thirty. What is it?" she asked. She knew he wouldn't get her up unless it was something important, but if it turned out to be some silly little thing, she was going to scream. She was tired and had just finished a stressful research paper for school.

"Get dressed. We need to go. The Alpha's attacked again. He killed a video store clerk and those two twits from your school, Lydia and Jackson, were there when it happened," said Derek.

"Oh, crap," said Artemis. She immediately felt wide awake as she went into her closet and quickly changed. If Jackson and Lydia saw the Alpha, they could be in danger. Not to mention they needed to know why the Alpha was killing two men who seemed to have nothing in common. What could possibly link a video store clerk and a bus driver?

Derek had Artemis ride on his back as he ran them to the top of the video store where they watched the scene unfold. The police, Stiles and ambulance were already there. The video store clerk's body was being taken away by the coroner. Lydia was sitting quietly in the back of the ambulance and seemed to be in a state of shock, but Jackson was acting like a two-year-old yelling about wanting to go home while insulting the sheriff. They both seemed to be fine.

"Starting to get it now?" asked Derek.

"I get that the Alpha's killing people, but I don't get why. I mean, it's not standard practice to do stuff like this, is it?" asked Artemis. "Tell me we don't go around murdering people in the middle of the night for no apparent reason."

"We don't. We're predators, not killers," said Derek. "We don't kill unless it's in self-defense or if it's justified."

"His kills weren't in self-defense, so what the heck justified them?" demanded Artemis. Why would anyone kill Laura, much less two minimum-wage workers?

"I don't know, but we'll find out," said Derek. He took her hand. "Come on."

As they were leaving, Artemis saw a spiral out of the corner of her eye on the building. She didn't know what it meant, but she made a mental note to ask Derek later.

He took her to his house and into the burnt-out living room where they sat down. "We're going to have to work harder on your training."

"We are?"

"Yes. We've got less than a week before the next full moon. Sooner or later, he's going to call you out again. If you don't kill with him, he'll kill you."

"Why? Because I don't believe in murder?" said Artemis, annoyed.

"No, because killing's a rite of passage and you're part of his pack until we get rid of him," said Derek. "I can't find him without your help."

"I know, but why can't you just sniff him out when he's not wolfed out?"

"Because his scent might be different when he's human," said Derek. "It has to be you. You have a connection with him that I don't. If you can control your abilities, you can find him." He lifted her chin when she looked down. "I know you're scared of him, Huntress, but you can beat him. I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't believe that."

Artemis sighed. He was right. While she didn't know how Derek knew of her fear as she'd told no one, she did know that she was scared to death of the Alpha, but that didn't mean she had to face him alone. "If you promise that you'll stick with me the whole time, I'll do everything I can to help you," she said. He'd said it himself, wolves were stronger together. Packs were stronger than an individual.

"I promise," said Derek. He rose up. "Come on. We'll train for a bit before I take you home."

"Okay," said Artemis.

Around one o'clock in the morning, after nearly three hours of working on her control, Derek finally took Artemis home.

XXX

Thankfully, it was a late-start day, so Artemis did get some sleep before school started. At school, the first place she went to was Alison's locker.

The Argent girl had just opened her locker to find streamers and balloons spilling out of it along with a birthday card, courtesy of Lydia Martin.

"Hey, looks like it's someone's birthday," said Artemis, smiling.

But Alison didn't look all that happy, surprisingly enough.

"Please don't tell anyone. I don't even know how Lydia found out," said Alison.

"One, I haven't told anyone. Two, Lydia makes it her business to know other peoples' business. And three, why wouldn't you want people to know it's your birthday?" asked Artemis.

Alison sighed. "Because I'm seventeen and people always make crappy assumptions as to why."

"Ah. Well, then they're idiots. I mean, I get it. You had to repeat a year because of all the moving around, right?" said Artemis.

Alison actually looked happy and hugged her. "And you're the first person to ever make the correct assumption. Thanks."

"Not a problem," said Artemis. "And if it helps, I'm seventeen too. That's what happens when you're born after school starts."

Alison looked sympathetic. "So, how did you find out about my birthday?"

"Your mom marked it on the calendar at your house. I saw it when I was there for dinner," said Artemis. She took a small wrapped present out of her pocket. "Happy Birthday."

"You're great, you know that?" said Alison. She opened the box and found a pendant of an archer inside the box. "This is beautiful. Thanks."

"You're-Welcome," said Artemis. "Hey, since it's a late start today and we don't have that long at school, do you want to grab some pizza and go see a movie to celebrate your birthday? Like say, after school?"

Alison nodded. "That sounds great, Artemis. I'd love to."

"And don't worry, I guarantee that no one else will find out it's your birthday. Lydia's not here today and none of the teachers make a big deal out of birthdays, so you're free," said Artemis.

Alison looked relieved and even a little excited.

XXX

In chemistry that day, Mr. Harris announced that parent-teacher conferences were taking place that evening and students below a C average were required to attend. Thankfully, despite her stresses and current problems, Artemis was getting a B average in school and wouldn't have to deal with the PTC, but she still pitied the students who weren't so lucky. Parent-teacher meetings stank no matter what as few students liked being under the spotlight by teachers unless you were an overachiever.

In the locker room after school was over and lacrosse practice had ended, Jackson was on the verge of asking Artemis for advice on anxiety pills as he seriously thought he was going to have an attack or at least puke. Ever since Derek Hale had left his mark on the back of his neck, he'd been having nightmares and it'd gotten worse after seeing what he had at the video store. He'd told no one, but he'd seen an enormous black wolf that seemed to have a slight human appearance and glowing red eyes. It had scared him to death.

He'd just changed into his regular clothes when his heart skipped a beat upon seeing Derek Hale in the locker room. Derek seemed to be out for something.

Terrified, Jackson backed up into the lockers. "Artemis left already with Alison Argent. I don't know where she went and I haven't gone near her today!"

"I know. I'm not here for Artemis. I'm here for you," said Derek.

"W-w-why me? I didn't do anything," he stammered.

"But you did see something," said Derek.

"No, I didn't see anything," lied Jackson.

Derek just approached him and didn't look fooled in the slightest. "You can't lie to me, Jackson. I can tell when you're not telling the truth. What'd you see? An animal with glowing red eyes?"

Jackson didn't reply.

"I thought so," said Derek, looking a little smug. "Oh, and if I were you, I'd get those cuts on your neck checked out."

He left the locker room, leaving Jackson alone with his heart pounding.

XXX

Artemis and Alison had just purchased their tickets for the latest vampire movie when Artemis's phone rang. From the ringtone, she knew it was Stiles.

"Excuse me just a second," said Artemis.

"Sure. I'll save you a seat. Back row, right?" said Alison.

Artemis nodded and then went into the bathroom to answer her phone. "Stiles, what is it?"

"_Hey, are you sure the Alpha didn't actually hurt anyone besides the video store clerk? Lydia was M.I.A. all day, Jackson's been looking like he's got a freaking time bomb attached to him_," said Stiles. Although he knew the Alpha had attacked the previous night, the fact that his crush was absent from school worried him.

"Yes, I'm sure. Derek and I saw them from the roof. I didn't smell any blood on them and the most damage Jackson has are some nightmares and a minor concussion. I think Lydia's just freaked out. Apparently, the Alpha leapt out of the window while she was sitting in the car," said Artemis.

"_WHAT?!_" yelled Stiles, loudly.

Artemis glared and winced as she pulled the phone away from her. "Keep your voice down. My hearing's amplified, remember?"

"_Sorry,_" said Stiles. He sounded a little calmer, but not much. "_Dude, you've got to do something about this._"

"I'm doing everything I can. I'm trying to control this and I'm trying to find this mutt before he hurts anyone else," said Artemis. She then checked her watch. The movie was starting in just five minutes. "Look, I've got to go. If you're worried so much, go see Lydia. Check on her and see if she's willing to tell you about what she saw."

"_I will. Take care,_" said Stiles.

"You too." She hung up the phone and then joined Alison for the movie.

After the film had ended and they feasted on a large pizza, half pepperoni and half olives, they went for a walk in the woods, chatting and exploring. On their way up a hill, Alison nearly slid as she took a step up a log. Fortunately, Artemis was hanging onto a tree and grabbed her hand just in time, as they both laughed.

"You really are better at this nature stuff than I am," said Alison, as they continued their trek.

"Says the girl who ranked nationally at archery," said Artemis. They'd turned off their cell phones and were disconnecting themselves from the world until Alison was to take Artemis home in two hours.

"Point taken," said Alison. They crossed a stream and ended up laughing as they slipped and slid into the water. "So, what's the deal with you and Derek?"

"What do you mean?"

"During the bowling game, he seemed like he was going to do something to Jackson and he seems so protective of you," said Alison.

"Derek's like that with people he cares about. He hates it when those he cares about are being picked on or whatever and he hates Jackson because Jackson's been giving me a hard time lately," said Artemis, shrugging.

"How'd you two meet?" asked Alison.

"It was a long time ago. I was just a kid. There was a rabid dog loose and it came after me," said Artemis, as she thought back to that day so long ago. "When I saw the dog, I didn't even think, I just ran and soon I came to this tree. A hand reached down to me and pulled me up. It was Derek. He got me up into the tree and scared the dog off. I was so freaked out, but Derek just held me and seemed to make everything better until Animal Control got the dog and my parents came for me. We were friends from that day forward."

"Sounds like he's a real hero," said Alison.

"Yeah, when he's not being a total guy, you know what I mean?" Derek had temper problems and sometimes he got on Artemis's nerves, but nobody was perfect. Derek had always protected her and she'd done her best to look out for him in return. They were close friends and always would be.

Alison laughed and nodded.

The rest of the day, they trekked all over the woods. They even stopped at the stream a few times to skip stones and took turns giving each other piggyback rides. When the time finally came for Artemis to head home, Alison was looked far happier than she had that morning.

"Artemis, thanks for everything. This has been the best birthday of my life," said Alison.

"I'm glad you had fun," said Artemis, smiling. "I'd know if you were lying, anyway."

"Oh, really? How?" asked Alison, interested.

"You usually touch your right eyebrow when you're lying. It's your tell," explained Artemis. It was true, but Artemis was also referring to the fact that human heartbeats changed when someone lied. "Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Anything for my best friend."

"And since you're my best friend, I'll do something like this for you for your birthday," said Alison. "You know, maybe sometime, you can teach me how to make jewelry and I'll show you how to shoot an arrow."

"Yeah, that sounds great," said Artemis. She got out of the car. "See you later."

"See you," said Alison.

After Alison had driven off, Artemis turned on her phone and found about a hundred messages from Stiles.

Knowing she was in for an earful, she dialed Stiles' number and braced herself, "Stiles?"

"_Dude, why do you even have a cell phone if you never answer it?_" said Stiles. "_If you do this again, I'm going to kill you and right now I'm too freaked out to come up with a witty description of how I'm going to kill you._"

"I won't do it again, I promise. I'm sorry my phone was off. Now, what's wrong?" asked Artemis. She knew her friend could be a bit of a joker, but he also knew when to be serious and he never joked around when something was scaring him.

"_Okay, I've got news, but I'm not sure if it's good or bad_," said Stiles.

"What is it?" asked Artemis.

"_I paid Lydia a visit and I severely doubt she's going to remember what she saw. She took a few doses of something that's left her so doped up, she said I was a mountain lion. I found pictures of the Alpha on her phone and after I sent them to my phone, I deleted them off hers,_" said Stiles.

"Well, that's something at least. Derek's MIA again and I keep getting this really bad feeling that something's wrong," said Artemis.

"_Like Pete's bad vibes?_" said Stiles. _Warehouse 13 _was one of their favorite television programs.

"Something like that," said Artemis. She let out a small gasp as she saw Kate attacking Derek at his house. He'd knocked out her henchmen after she'd provoked him and now he was in agony thanks to some kind of electrical device of Kate's. What made Artemis ill was the fact that Kate seemed to enjoy Derek's pain. "Oh gads…"

"_What is it? What'd you see?_" asked Stiles.

"Kate attacking Derek," said Artemis. "I've got to help him. I'll call you back."

After rummaging through the basement and finding what she needed, Artemis ran as fast as she could to Derek's house.

She snuck inside and saw Derek on the floor, shirtless and sweaty from working out and in pain from Kate's little torture device. She listened in on their conversation, waiting for just the right moment to strike. It was breaking her heart to see Derek struggle on the floor as he tried to sit up, despite the pain he felt, but she knew if she leapt in too soon, she'd risk getting him killed.

Kate looked smug as she held up her torture device. "Nine hundred thousand volts. You never good with electricity, were you? Or fire for that matter."

Derek glared while Artemis resisted the urge to wolf out on Kate then and there.

Kate just chuckled. "And that's why I'm going to let you in on a little secret and maybe we'll be able to help each other out."

_Fat chance of that, you cow! _There was not a chance of them working with a heartless, conniving little cow like Kate, ever.

"Yes, your sister was used to catch you, but we didn't kill her," said Kate.

That didn't surprise Artemis as there had been bite marks on Laura's body, but it was a shock for Derek, who clearly didn't believe Kate.

"You think I'm lying?"

"Wouldn't be the first time," snarled Derek.

"Well, listen to my heartbeat, and then you'll know. We—didn't—kill—your—sister," said Kate, slowly as though she was speaking to a child. Kate wasn't lying, much to Derek's pain. "As you can plainly hear, I'm not lying. I just told you the cold hard truth. Sorry, sweetie, but the Alpha killed your sister, not us and if you just tell us who he is, we'll take care of him for you. So, spill it already. Who's the Alpha?"

Derek didn't reply and Artemis gripped her weapon tightly.

"Unless, you don't know who he is either. Well, guess who just became totally useless?"

Before Kate could use her gun, Artemis acted. Suddenly, Kate let out a soft hiss of pain before collapsing into an unconscious heap.

Derek looked surprised when Artemis came into view. "Artemis, what the devil are you doing here and what did you just do?"

"Hello to you too," said Artemis, as she helped him up. "I'm here to help you. My dad hunted a lot. After my parents divorced and he split, he left a lot of his junk behind. I held onto it for emergencies. Get your shirt and jacket on. We're getting out of here. This place clearly isn't safe for you anymore."

"Where do you propose I go, then?" he demanded, as he got dressed.

"Well, fortunately for you, my mom never goes in the basement of our house and it's furnished," said Artemis. "You can stay there until we figure something else out, unless you'd rather take your chances on your own."

Derek didn't. He just did as she said and took up residence in Artemis's basement. There wasn't a lot down there, but there was light, a bed, a heater, couch, radio and television. Food wouldn't be a problem as Artemis could always sneak something down there and Derek could sneak out if he needed something Artemis couldn't acquire or if he needed some air.

"I can get you more blankets or whatever else you need. You should be safe here for now. I know it's not much, but…"

"It's fine," interrupted Derek. He sat down on the couch. "Thanks for doing this, Artemis."

"Hey, you've been looking out for me since the day we met. It's time I returned the favor," said Artemis. She sat down beside him. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Eventually," he said.

_Yikes, that's not good. _Derek rarely admitted his feelings like that and for him to do so now, meant he was really hurting. She could feel it. She couldn't blame him for being an emotional mess either. He'd spent weeks thinking the Argents had killed his sister, his ex-girlfriend responsible for destroying his family was back and now the one he'd been looking for was the real killer of his sister.

Without thinking, Artemis wrapped an arm around Derek's shoulders and then took his hand in hers. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to, but I'm here for you for whatever you need. I'm not going to abandon you, not ever." He was sticking with her and she was sticking with him. That was all there was to it.

Derek actually smiled a little as he squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Huntress."

Because of his exhaustion, Derek ended falling asleep with his head in Artemis's lap as she gently combed his hair with her fingers. He slept peacefully, but Artemis's heart was pounding as she wished so much that there was even a chance moments like this could last forever.

XXX

Thankfully Melissa Moon was nowhere near the house as she was in the middle of the PTA with one of Artemis's teachers.

"Mrs. Moon, glad you could come take this time to meet with me," said Mr. Harris, as they shook hands and sat down.

"Thank you," said Melissa. "So, how is Artemis doing this far into the semester?"

"Well, Artemis is a very special young lady. Academically, she's doing well. Her metal shop teacher's very pleased with her as her projects are astounding. Despite some struggles in chemistry, she's got a G.P.A. of 3.7. She's become a very good lacrosse player," said Mr. Harris. "But she seems to have a lot of untapped potential."

"Well, things have been a little hard recently. She's under a bit of stress," said Melissa. What with Derek being back and them both working to pay the bills while balancing school, it was no wonder why Artemis was struggling a bit in school.

"I understand. This point in her life is very difficult. However, it's also crucial and I would suggest that she receive a little more attention," said Mr. Harris. "Socially, I'd say she's doing far better than she was last year. Rather than only being friends with Mr. Stilinski, she's gained a new friend in Miss Alison Argent. It's always good for teenagers to have a friend of one's own gender and age."

"Yes. I've been very happy with this," said Melissa. "Alison's been great for Artemis."

"Indeed," said Mr. Harris. "My only real concern for her is that she seems to be having more frequent panic attacks and she seems to be either a bit distracted or frightened. Is there something going on I should know about?"

"I honestly don't know. She didn't tell me this," said Melissa, stunned. She felt ashamed. How could she not know Artemis was having more panic attacks and was scared of something?

Mr. Harris didn't look surprised. "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know." Unlike most teachers, Mr. Harris was a little more considerate of his students and he loved his teaching position.

XXX

Late that same night, Artemis received a phone call from Stiles and it was not good news. A mountain lion had appeared in the school parking lot after the PTA meetings. It had nearly attacked Stiles' dad before Chris Argent shot it without even blinking. It seemed the monster that had been attacking the town was dealt with.

Or was it?


	6. Heart Monitor

Heart Monitor

It was the middle of the night when Artemis was finishing up some grocery shopping at the request of her mother. Normally Artemis hated grocery shopping, but this time she was glad for the excuse to get out of the house and borrow her mother's car as things had been a tad difficult in her home of late. Ever since the PTA meeting, Melissa had been trying to find out what was causing Artemis's stress problems and panic attacks.

When she wasn't saying it was just school crap, other times she just said she was completely fine. As much as Artemis hated lying to her and appreciated the concern, she hated the idea of her mother ever finding out her secret more and being put at risk because of it. How could she possibly tell her mother she was a werewolf? Melissa wouldn't believe her unless she wolfed out on her and even then, the possibilities of what actions Melissa would take were not something Artemis liked to think about.

She'd just put the groceries into the trunk of the car and taken out the bottle of Gatorade she intended to drink on the way home when she accidentally dropped the bottle and it rolled under the cars next to her.

Sighing in annoyance, Artemis was about to go after it when the bottle suddenly rolled back towards her and not only that, but it seemed to be leaking a bit in a startling way.

Artemis froze and then sensed another werewolf before she heard its growl. She then ran for her life until she had an idea. Quickly, she leapt onto the trunks of several cars and activated the car alarms. She then dove behind a car and tried to calm herself down. She just silenced her vibrating phone when she felt someone grab her and hoist her onto the roof of the car.

"You're dead," announced Derek.

Artemis was furious and slid off the roof of the car as he let her go and faced her.

"Derek, what the heck are you doing?" yelled Artemis.

"I said I was going to test you one of these days, I just didn't say when I'd do it," said Derek, matter-of-factly.

Artemis glared at him as she punched his shoulder before walking back to her car. "You're a total jerk, you know that? You scared the crap out of me." While she'd known one of these days he was going to test her, she still didn't like getting scared half to death.

"Well, if being a total jerk means keeping you alive, then so be it," said Derek. "You were sloppy back there."

"Sloppy? Give me a break. I was fast and I fooled you with the car alarms, didn't I?" said Artemis, exasperated. Considering she'd somehow sensed him before she even smelled him or heard him for that matter should've earned her a few points, but no, Derek had to be a total nag.

"Yes, but you weren't fast enough and the car alarm trick only worked until your phone went off." said Derek. "You wanted me to teach you and I am, but it's complicated. I am what I am because of birth. You were bitten. Learning control takes time, time we're running out of. It'll be the full moon soon and you need to rid yourself of distractions."

"Pretty hard, considering I've got nothing but distractions!" grumbled Artemis. "I've got lacrosse, school, work, and let's not forget an Alpha wolf that bit me and is out on the worst hunt possible while trying to control me along with an entire family of psychotic hunters who want to kill me!"

"You're mad. Good. If you want to learn how to control this, it's through anger, but tapping into a primal animal rage," said Derek.

"If you want me to get mad, you're doing a fine good job of it," said Artemis. She was ticked off at him and trying not to her eyes flash their werewolf gold.

"And you should stop associating with Alison," said Derek.

"Oh, for the love of—! We're not having this conversation again, Derek," said Artemis, annoyed. He'd been trying to get her to end her friendship with Alison ever since she'd been bitten and the conversation had taken place more times than Artemis cared to count. "She's my friend and until I have reason to believe she's a threat, I'm not leaving her. I'm not going near the rest of her family if I can help it."

"And what if you can't? What if because of your little friendship, you get exposed and they kill you? You think I want to lose you, like I lost my family because of them?" growled Derek.

"No, but—"

"No buts!" interrupted Derek. "Alison is an Argent, Artemis, and Argents are nothing but trouble for our kind." He took her phone out of her jacket and showed her the screen which said she had one missed call from Alison. "She's the reason I caught you. If you want to live, if you want to protect your loved ones, you need to stay away from her as much as possible, at least until after the full moon. Can you do that?"

"Not tonight I can't. Alison said she'd give me copies of her notes so I could study for my history test," said Alison. She knew he wasn't going to like hearing that. "I'll go pick those up and then only talk to her during lunch at school until after the full moon. Can you live with that?"

"If I must," grumbled Derek, before he took off.

Artemis sighed as she got into her car and went home. She did appreciate Derek's concern, but sometimes he could really get on her nerves and drive her up a wall.

XXX

Later, after picking up the history notes from Alison, Artemis felt uneasy as she went to her car. While she'd been there, she'd seen Kate helping Alison with her history project and dropping a not-so-subtle hint that the Argents were wolf killers back in the eighteenth century. Artemis prayed that Alison wouldn't catch on to the true meaning of Kate's little hint.

She was almost to her car when she heard rustling in the foliage and the sound of a werewolf growling. Her heart skipped a beat. _Oh, crud. That's not Derek. _When she saw the red eyes in the darkness, she ran straight for her car. She got inside and locked the door. She was about to drive off when she saw the Alpha in the rearview mirror, huge with black fur and dripping fangs and red eyes, just like before when he'd bitten her.

_Oh, gads. He's going to kill me. _Artemis held her breath as the Alpha walked around her car and then delicately drew a spiral in the condensation of her car window before taking off, allowing her to breathe easily with relief. Quickly, she called Derek's phone and got voicemail. "Derek, it's me. Listen, I just saw the Alpha. If you could be there when I get home, I'd really appreciate it. I'm freaking out right now."

When she got home, she locked all the doors and windows and when she switched on the lamp in her bedroom, she nearly had a heart attack to see Derek in her room.

"Well?" he said.

Artemis clutched her heart and shot daggers at him. "Derek, so help me if you scare me like that again, I'm going to kill you."

Derek threw up his hands. "Sorry," he said. "I got your message. You said you saw the Alpha again. What happened? Did he talk to you?

"Yes, we had a lovely conversation about the weather," she said, sarcastically. "No, he didn't talk to me! He didn't say a word! He just scared me half to death and took off."

"Well, did you get anything off of him? An impression?" asked Derek. "Did you feel anything?"

Artemis nodded. "He was angry, really angry. I've never felt so much anger before in my life."

"He was angry at you?"

She shook her head. The Alpha hadn't been angry with her, she could feel that. "No, his anger was directed elsewhere. But I could feel it, especially when he drew that stupid spiral."

Derek looked startled. "He did what?"

"He drew the spiral in the condensation of my car window," said Artemis. She then frowned. "Wait, there was a spiral around Laura's grave, one in a leather seat of the bus driver's bus, and one on the ceiling of the video store."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. Why? What does the spiral mean?" asked Artemis.

"You don't want to know," said Derek. He rose up from the chair. "I have to go."

He tried to leave, but Artemis grabbed his hand.

"Derek, wait," said Artemis. "I'm scared out of my mind right now. I know you want to go look for answers right now, but, please, could you just stay in here with me until I get to school tomorrow? I feel safer when you're around. Please."

Derek sighed and then nodded. "Okay, I'll stay."

Artemis sighed in relief. "Thank you."

They ended up sitting on Artemis's bed, talking into the night and watching a few films on her computer until she fell asleep with her head on his chest and his arm wrapped around her. As always, Derek was making her feel safe.

XXX

At school the following morning, Artemis was trying and failing to talk to Stiles during their few free minutes before class as he was mad at her for not being more helpful with Lydia and Jackson or being there to protect his father from the mountain lion that had attacked. It was hardly Artemis's fault the mountain lion had attacked or that she'd had no way of knowing it would happen as she had no reason to be at the school that night, but Stiles was just Stiles.

"Stiles, I know you're still mad at me, and I am sorry about what happened. Okay? I regret not being there, but I honestly didn't know. If I had the slightest inkling something was going to happen, I would've been there," said Artemis. "I'm really sorry." The sheriff had only been a little bruised by a car that had accidentally bumped into him, but it could've been worse had Chris Argent not acted.

Stiles didn't reply. He was still mad.

"Okay, what if I told you Derek tested me and I saw the Alpha last night? And that Derek stayed with me all night because I told him I felt scared? Or that he's taken up residency in my basement?"

She grinned inwardly when Stiles turned to face her. She knew he couldn't resist wanting to find out more. "If I was talking to you, I'd say you're lucky that you've basically got yourself a bodyguard. And if I was talking to you, I'd demanded more details, but I'm not talking to you," said Stiles.

Artemis laughed, knowing she was forgiven.

Class then started and as soon as it ended, Artemis told him everything that had happened the previous night.

"He wants you to tap into your anger?" said Stiles, in disbelief. "Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but every time you do that, you try to kill someone and that someone tends to be me."

"I know. I'm getting better at it, but I need more control. Derek's teaching me all he can and I've been doing yoga and tai-chi to help control my anger, but it's not enough," said Artemis. "We have a plan to catch the Alpha. Since I have a link with him, supposedly I can signal him to me and we'll trap him or something."

Stiles' eyes widened. "He's using you as live bait? Is he insane?"

"Don't blame him. It was my idea," said Artemis, throwing up her hands. "I'm not thrilled with it either, but you said a wolf howls to signal the rest of its pack so it seems like the best thing to do. We're running out of options. The full moon's in a few days and I need to get this bozo out of my life soon."

"I still think it's insane. Oh, and what exactly has your training with Derek entailed?" asked Derek.

"He's been teaching me yoga and tai-chi to keep myself calm, how to use my lycanthrope senses to their full potential and some self-defense tricks. Why?"

"When're you meeting him again?"

"He's picking me up at the animal clinic after work today."

"Good. That gives me time," said Stiles.

"Time for what?" asked Artemis, warily, not liking the look on his face.

"Time to teach you a few things myself," said Stiles. "Trust me; I'm going to be a better Yoda than Derek could ever hope to be."

_Why don't I like the sound of that? _

"Oh, and I'm supposed to avoid Alison as much as possible until after the full moon. For once, I think Derek's right about that," said Artemis.

"Wait, you're agreeing with Derek over Alison?" said Stiles, stunned. "Why?"

"Because while I was picking up the copies of Alison's science notes, Kate dropped a not-so-subtle hint last night that their family hunts my kind and suggested researching it for a history project," said Artemis. "Alison's hooked." She had no idea what would happen if or when Alison learned the truth of the family business, especially if or when she ever learned Artemis's secret.

Stiles grimaced. "Yikes. Well, all the more reason to put my plan to teach you self-control into action. Come with me, my young padawan."

_Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?_

XXX

During their free period, Stiles had Artemis go out onto the lacrosse field.

He had her put on a heart rate monitor that he'd "borrowed without permission but with full intention of bringing it back" from the coach. Since Artemis's heart rate tended to go up whenever she wolfed out or played lacrosse, or when she was angry or with Derek, controlling her heart rate seemed like the best plan.

He then had her keep her back to him after he'd duct taped her hands behind her back while he tossed lacrosse balls at her. Artemis's accelerated healing made the bruises go away quickly, but it still wasn't fun. Despite being pummeled with lacrosse balls, Artemis managed to control her angel well and Stiles got some target practice in up until the moment when Artemis nearly shifted, but she managed to force it back.

"Stiles, the next time you want to do something like this, the answer's no," said Artemis, as she breathed deeply.

"At least it helped a little," he said, weakly. "You controlled yourself."

"True," she agreed. "Gads, I hate this. I controlled myself fine just then, but what happens if I can't do it next time?" What was going to happen during the full moon or the next time Jackson really made her angry?

"That's why Derek and I here for you," said Stiles. He patted her shoulder. "Come on. Let's go enjoy the rest of our free period. And keep that heart monitor on until you have to leave for work. I want to keep a watch on you."

"Fine. Just don't do this to me again. My training with Derek's hard enough," said Artemis. She was glad she'd helped Stiles with his anger issue, but the next time he wanted to do this, she was going to scream.

"It's a deal," said Stiles.

Unfortunately, after free period came Artemis's second least-favorite class, Coach Finstock taught economics at the school as well as lacrosse and had a tendency to be one of the biggest loud-mouthed jerks on the face of the earth.

Alison sat behind in her class. "Hey, you okay? You look frazzled and I've barely seen you all day," she whispered, as class began to start.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been really busy and I hate this class," whispered Artemis. Economics itself wasn't such a bad subject, but some parts of it confused her and the coach could be a really lousy teacher at times.

"I don't blame you," said Alison, sympathetically. It was no secret that the coach wasn't liked by any of the students. "Hey, do you want to come over and study after school? We could go hiking afterwards and you can show me your jewelry making secrets."

"Tonight? I can't," said Artemis. "Derek needs my help something and I promised I'd help. Could we reschedule for next Tuesday?" She did want to hang out with her friend, but she just didn't dare, not for another few days. Derek was going to go ballistic already and the full moon was on Monday night, which was less than five days away from then.

"Yeah, that'd be fine. Would five o'clock work for you?" asked Alison.

Artemis nodded and then looked frontward when Coach Finstock got everyone's attention by slamming an economics book onto his desk.

"Everyone settle down!" he said. But the only noise had been Alison and Artemis's whispering. "We've got a lot to cover today. First, can anyone summarize last night's reading assignment besides Mr. Greenberg? Moon, why don't you?"

_Last night's reading? Oh, crap. _In all of the excitement and fright of last night, Artemis had had only time to skim over the assigned reading before passing out in her bed. "Uh…" Recalling what she could, Artemis summarized all she could and then braced herself for his berating as the coach was a perfectionist and unless you gave a perfect summary of the reading assignments, you were in for the self-esteem blows of your life.

"That's the best you can do? Really, Moon!" yelled Coach Finstock. "Since you seem to be lacking in literary skills, maybe I should just stick you on the suicide runs in practice since you seem incapable of reading! Thank you, Moon, for extinguishing the last hope I had for your generation of brainless teenagers!"

Artemis didn't flinch under Coach Finstock's rant, but it was starting to freak her out and her heart rate was going up, she could feel it and here it on the monitor. Without thinking, Artemis started rubbing Derek's birthday present to her, the necklace that he'd given her years ago, then she heard Derek's voice from across the school grounds.

"Artemis, ignore him. He's unimportant. He's just a twit who doesn't even deserve his degree. Ignore him," said Derek. "Listen to me until he stops his blabbering. Stay calm."

Artemis heeded Derek's instructions and blocked out Coach Finstock while listening to Derek until the coach stopped his rant and gave the rest of the lesson. Derek's voice soothed her and kept her calm until the bell finally rang.

Right after class, Stiles asked, "Dude, what the heck happened in there? One minute you looked terrified, and the next you were happy as a clam."

"Nothing happened. Derek was just talking to me from across the grounds, and somehow he calmed me down. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. Coach was starting to freak me out and Derek makes me safe for some reason," said Artemis shrugging.

Stiles looked quite satisfied. "I was right. It is Derek."

"What do you mean?" asked Artemis, confused. "What's Derek?"

"Remember what you told me about the night of your first full moon? You were thinking about him, like protecting him or him protecting you or whatever. Remember the night of the first lacrosse game? You said you were listening to his voice across the field the whole time," said Stiles.

"Yeah, so?" said Artemis, not quite understanding where this was going.

"Well, that's what kept you focused so you could play," he explained. "And then after the game in the locker room, you couldn't kill him, at least not like how you were trying to kill me. He calmed you down and you were fine. Derek brings you back, that's what I'm saying. Back the classroom, for instance, when you were listening to him talk from across the grounds and how you were rubbing his birthday present to you in between your fingers, you were perfectly calm. I think Derek's what gives you control. He's like an anchor."

"You mean because I love him," said Artemis, not fully realizing what she was saying until she and Stiles stopped in their tracks.

"Holy crap, did you just say—?" said Stiles, looking stunned.

Artemis looked just as shocked as Stiles. "Yeah, I said that." She smiled as a small laugh entered her throat. "I can't believe I didn't see it before. How could I have been so blind? I love him. I'm in love with Derek Hale."

"Well, this ought to be interesting," said Stiles. "But what are you going to do about this? You can't be with him all the time. And there's no way he can always watch over you and talk to you from who knows where."

"Well, most of the time, just thinking about him or rubbing my necklace helps," said Artemis. "I don't know what else to do."

"Well, if that's the case then you should be fine until full moon. On that night, we'll lock you up like you wanted. And like it or not Artemis, you can do the impossible. Not to be a complete geek, but with great power comes great responsibility. Remember that."

"How could I possibly forget?" said Artemis, sighing. "Gads, I hope tonight's plans work. I want the Alpha out of my life so badly Stiles. Derek thinks that if I don't get rid of him, the next time I don't kill with him, he'll kill me."

"That's not going to happen. Derek and I would rather swallow poison than see that happen and you've fought him off this long. You can handle it," said Stiles.

Artemis just nodded and then they went to their next class.

XXX

Meanwhile, Derek was visiting his uncle Peter.

Peter had been a burnt vegetable for the past six years, and had yet to speak but Derek kept trying. Peter was his only blood relative left. Once, he'd been an intelligent and powerful werewolf, now he just sat in his chair with a blank look on his face with the right side of his face disfigured by burn scars. He was nothing now.

Derek sat across from him. "I need your help. If you can hear me, give me a sign—an eye blink, moving your finger, anything. Just point me in the right direction, okay? Someone killed Laura. Your niece. My sister."

When there was no response, he sighed.

"Whoever he is, he's an Alpha now, and one without a pack, which means he's not as strong. Remember that girl I hung out with when I wasn't with Kate, Artemis Moon? Well, she's all grown up now. She's beautiful and completely different than a lot of girls I've known before. She's one of us now, but he turned her against her will. I need to get rid of him before he hurts her or worse. She never wanted this," said Derek.

Again there was no response, not even an eye blink.

"Something's happened to me," he continued. "I've always cared about her, but ever since I found her in the woods after she was bitten by the Alpha, it's been crazy. She's always on my mind and just the thought of her getting her or being the Alpha's lacky makes me go berserk. And it's not just that. Other things have been happening since that night that I can't begin to explain. She's friends with Alison Argent, despite my being against it. I think it's going to end badly and one of the last things I want is for her to go through what I did—to befriend a hunter and be betrayed."

Yet again, there was nothing from Peter.

He sighed again. "I need to get the Alpha out of Artemis's life before he hurts her or someone she cares about or worse. I know I can take him, but I need to find him first. Do you know who he is? Is the Alpha one of our family? Did someone else make it out of the fire? If you know anything, just give me a sign, please!"

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Peter's nurse, as Derek's voice had gained considerable volume and he was grasping his uncle's shoulders. "After six years, you think yelling at him is going to gain you a response?"

"What would you suggest?" demanded Derek, angrily.

"Patience," she said. "He'll respond if you give him time. If you don't have that kind of time, then I suggest you leave, Mr. Hale. Any further disruptive behavior and I'll be forced to call security."

"Fine. Whatever," snarled Derek, as he stormed out of the hospital.

He walked over to his black Camaro vehicle, and found a folded piece of paper was under the windshield wiper. It was of an article and photograph of a deer with a spiral in its fur. The vet at the scene was Dr. Deaton, Artemis's boss.

He drove over to the animal clinic and walked into Dr. Deaton's office. "Dr. Deaton?"

"Yes, can I help…you?" Dr. Deaton looked up from the clipboard of papers he was signing and his voice wandered off when he saw who he was speaking to.

"I hope so." Derek unfolded the paper and held it up. "I want to know about this deer you found three months ago. Do you remember anything about it?"

"Uh…" Dr. Deaton seemed quite nervous and almost afraid. "It was just a deer. I didn't find it. I was called because they wanted to know if I'd ever seen anything like it before."

"And what did you tell them?"

"What'd you tell them?"

"I told them no."

_Liar! _Dr. Deaton's pulse was crazy and his heart rate just spiked up big time. "You hear that? It's the sound of your heartbeat going from steady to crazy. You're lying," growled Derek. He _hated _liars. He grabbed Dr. Deaton by the scruff of his shirt and wolfed out on him. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I find out you're the one I'm looking for. Who are you, why are you lying and who're you protecting?"

"DEREK, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?" yelled Artemis. She'd been in the other room feeding the cats and dogs, and hadn't known Derek was interrogating her boss.

Derek quickly knocked out Dr. Deaton, giving him a small cut on his face before tying him to a chair and putting duct tape on his mouth.

"Derek, stop! What do you think you're doing?" demanded Artemis. She seemed angry and shocked over his behavior.

"If he's conscious, he can keep himself from healing! When he's not conscious, he can't!" said Derek. "You want to know what the spiral means, Huntress? It's our sign for a vendetta, for revenge! It means he won't stop killing until he gets what he wants!"

"So not only do you think my boss is the Alpha, but you're going to stoop to the Alpha's level? I thought you were better than that, Derek!" yelled Artemis. "Was I wrong?"

"No, you weren't wrong. But Artemis, if he's the Alpha—"

"There is no way my boss is the Alpha!" interrupted Artemis. She grabbed his hand and wolfed out when he tried to test his theory. He was both impressed and a tad scared to see her level of control. She shifted back to human form. "Hit him again without proof he's a threat, and then you'll see me get angry. So, don't."

"I'm just trying to protect you!" said Derek, frustrated. Why couldn't she see that? If Dr. Deaton was the Alpha that meant Artemis had been risking her neck just by being near him. He was not about to lose his Huntress of the Moon because of a wolf with revenge issues.

"I understand that and I appreciate it, but this is not what we do. He doesn't smell like one of us. He cannot be the Alpha," said Artemis, insistently.

"Well, we'll find out, won't we?" said Derek. He grabbed some duct tape and put it over Dr. Deaton's mouth before putting him on his shoulder. "Come on. We've got to go now if we're going to enact our plan."

Artemis sighed, but complied with Derek's request and got into the passenger seat of his car.

XXX

Artemis felt even more frazzled than ever when they pulled into the school parking lot where Stiles was waiting with his jeep. She didn't want to believe her boss was the Alpha, but she had to admit it made a bit of sense. He knew everyone in Beacon Hills, he knew Artemis's schedule and he had great knowledge of animals and humans and the skills to use that knowledge. But he seemed so gentle and compassionate. How could he be a killer?

She sighed as she got out of the car. One way or another tonight would be beneficial, somehow, provided her boss didn't press charges against Derek or fire her once this was over.

"This is a bad idea," said Stiles, when she got out of the car.

"I know," said Artemis. It was a terrible idea.

"And we're still going to do it?"

"This coming from the guy who thought it'd be a good idea to look for a dead body in the middle of the night?" said Artemis, exasperated. "This is a last-ditch effort to deal with the Alpha, Stiles. Have you got a better plan?"

"Well, personally I'm a fan of just ignoring a problem until it goes away," said Stiles.

"If ignoring the Alpha would work, we wouldn't be having this problem, now would we, Stilinski?" said Derek, as he slammed his car door shut. "Just make sure we can get inside the building, all right?"

"Fine, but—whoa," said Stiles, as his eyes widened. "Arty, why is your boss stuffed into the back of Derek's car bound and gagged?"

"Derek thinks he's the Alpha. Long story," said Artemis. "Let's just get this over with."

She didn't want to be there a second longer than she had to.

Stiles got them into the school and then he and Artemis went to the school's PTA system. He began to get it ready for her to use. The plan was for Artemis to signal the Alpha and then they'd deal with him, one way or another. Hopefully this wouldn't really mean that Artemis was part of the Alpha's pack.

"Okay, one question, what're you going to do if the Alpha doesn't show up?" asked Stiles.

"Then at least I'll know my boss isn't the Alpha and we'll think of something," said Artemis.

"And if he does show up?"

"Derek and I will handle it. How, I have no idea."

Stiles looked exasperated. "And to think, usually I'm the one with attention to detail issues."

Artemis sighed. "Is the microphone ready?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's ready. Do your thing, Wolf Girl," said Stiles. He handed her the microphone.

Artemis took a deep breath and cleared her throat. _I can do this. I can do this. Be a she-wolf, not a teen wolf. Let free my inner beast, the werewolf in me. _She then felt her eyes change as she let out a powerful wolf howl that shook everything, including the lockers and their locks.

Stiles looked excited as they ran out to meet Derek, who looked furious.

"That was impressive, but are you trying to attract the Alpha or everyone in Beacon Hills?"

"Sorry. I didn't know it would be so loud," said Artemis, apologetically.

"It was loud, but it was _awesome!_" said Stiles, grinning.

"Shut up," ordered Derek, glaring at Stiles.

Artemis's face fell when she saw something missing from the back of Derek's car. "Uh, Derek, where's my boss?" asked Artemis.

Derek spun around to see his car door was open and Artemis's boss was gone. He was nowhere near the car or them.

"How in the heck—?" murmured Derek.

Suddenly, the Alpha appeared. He was standing up on his back legs in wolf form looking beyond furious and dangerous. He plunged his claws into Derek's back before hoisting him up into the air and flinging Derek into the school wall before anyone could react.

"DEREK!" yelled Artemis.

_Derek, please don't be dead. Don't be dead. Please, don't be dead! _

"Derek!"

But he didn't respond. He just laid there, motionless and pale as death itself with his eyes wide open in shock. He seemed to be dead.

Artemis tried to run over to him, but Stiles pulled her back. "Artemis, you can't help him now! We need to run or we're going to get killed!"

Indeed they did have to run, for the Alpha was still there and would've attacked them had they not run for it and barricaded the school doors behind them. Derek was most likely dead, the Alpha was there and they were trapped. They were doomed.


	7. Night School

Night School

Artemis was breathing hard and her heart was racing like a train as she and Stiles managed to barricade the door using the tools Stiles had brought with him. She was horrified by what had just happened and cursed herself for being stupid enough to try and catch the Alpha. When all was quiet, they dared to take a look through the windows to see if the Alpha was in sight.

"Where is he?" whispered Artemis. "Where'd he go?"

"I don't know, but that door's not going to hold for long. We've got to go now," said Stiles.

They bolted for the nearest classroom when they heard the distant sound of howling somewhere in the hall of the school. They grabbed the desk and were about to use it to barricade the door when Stiles whispered for Artemis to stop.

"The door's not going to keep it out," said Stiles.

"I know," said Artemis. _Believe me, I know. _

"I hate your boss," said Stiles.

"Stiles, my boss is not the Alpha!" insisted Artemis. _There's no way he's the Alpha. He just can't be the Alpha. Not him!_

"Dude, he disappeared under Derek's watch while gagged, bound and locked in a car and then suddenly the Alpha showed up and killed Derek! He's a murdering psycho werewolf!" said Stiles. "Worse of all, he's a crappy boss."

"He's not! And don't you dare say Derek's dead, he can't be dead!" said Artemis. _Derek didn't die. He can't die. He just can't. _But even as she said it, she knew Stiles was possibly right. Derek's wounds were something out of a horror movie. Werewolves were hard to kill, but how could Derek possibly survive the Alpha's attack and live? But if he was dead, why did she still sense him?

"His wounds not minor, Artemis! I'm sorry, but he's dead," said Stiles. "He's dead and we're next. We've got to get to my jeep and get the heck out of here. And you're going to consider quitting your job, got it?"

"Okay, fine," said Artemis.

They went over to the windows and failed to open them and use them as an escape as Stiles said they were climate controlled.

"Why don't I just break it?" asked Artemis.

"Because you'll set off an alarm if you and if we get caught, my dad will toss us in jail for the rest of our lives," said Stiles.

"Then we'll run really fast," said Artemis. The Alpha was nowhere in sight and if she carried Stiles, she could get them out of there with her lycanthropic speed and strength. But then she frowned when she saw Stiles' car. "Stiles, we may have to rethink our escape route."

"Why?" demanded Stiles.

"Because unless I'm wrong, the Alpha just sabotaged your car," said Artemis. The car hood wasn't just dented, it was bent like someone or some_thing _had just yanked it hard with strength far superior to that of a human's.

"What?" said Stiles, sounding mad. He aimed the flashlight out the window, only to duck when the car battery was flung into the classroom via the glass window. The battery had been yanked out and had claw marks on it. "He just wrecked my car!"

"At least he didn't kill you!" hissed Artemis. She understood why Stiles was upset over the jeep. He'd bought himself as soon as he'd gotten his license and had worked hard to pay for it. But the car was the least of their worries right now. "Keep down. I'll see if he's around."

"Why don't I look?" asked Stiles.

"Which one of us has the accelerated healing?"

"Good point," admitted Stiles, after a moment. "Look fast!"

Artemis did and didn't see one sign of the Alpha. "I don't see him, but he's still here, I can feel it. We need to move now."

"Good plan," whispered Stiles.

They ran out into the hall, trying to decide where to go. They needed to go somewhere with as few windows as possible. Artemis suggested the locker room as there was no room in the entire school with fewer windows. They went inside and locked the door behind them.

"Call your dad," said Artemis.

"And tell him what, that a werewolf's out there trying to kill us?" hissed Stiles. "If he doesn't think I'm nuts, then even if he brings half the force with him, the Alpha might go berserk and attack all the cops, including my dad! Derek had to be shot with a wolfsbane-laced bullet to even slow him down. This thing could be resistant to wolfsbane for all we know!"

"Dang it," muttered Artemis. He was right. "Stiles, I'm sorry I got you into this. I keep dragging you into my crap. I'm sorry."

"Fair's fair, considering how much trouble I've gotten you in over the years. Look, we'll get out of this, somehow," said Stiles.

"Other than finding an exit and bolting for our lives, what other way is there?" Then an idea came to her. "Wait, what about Derek's car? If we can get out and find him and his car keys, we can get out of here." She refused to believe Derek was dead yet. She just couldn't believe he was gone.

"That might work," said Stiles. "Let's go."

They headed for the door and were about to leave when Artemis heard something, forcing them to hide in empty lockers. However, the noise was just the janitor, whom they accidentally ended up scaring until he forced them to leave the locker room before he called their parents. Right after he shoved them out of the locker room, he was pulled away and the door shut as the Alpha claimed him as the next victim.

Artemis bit back a scream of horror before she tried to help him, only for the door to be locked and for Stiles to drag her away before they got killed themselves.

They ran for their lives, only to find that the exit out of the school was barricaded by two heavy dumpsters. The Alpha had locked them in.

"I am not dying here. I am not dying at _school _of all places!" said Stiles, vehemently as they searched for another exit.

"Calm down. We're not going to die!" said Artemis. But inside she was starting to wonder if that was true and she was freaking out herself.

"Why's he doing this? What does he even want?" asked Stiles.

"He wants me!" said Artemis. "Derek said a pack of wolves is stronger than a lone wolf. He wants me in his pack."

Stiles threw up his hands. "Oh, great. A psychotic werewolf that's into teamwork. That's just freaking beautiful!" he said, sarcastically.

Artemis felt the blood drain from her face when they stopped to look out the window. The Alpha was right across from them and looking ready for its next victims. "Oh, crap. Stiles, get on my back, NOW!"

Quickly, Stiles climbed onto Artemis's back and then she ran as fast as she could while Stiles yelled—in excitement or terror, she couldn't tell—and as the Alpha broke through the window and chased after them.

Artemis ran down the hall with Stiles on her back with her werewolf speed. She then took a leap of faith by jumping straight down in between two flights of stairs before she got them into basement and had him get off her while they hid behind lockers older than Coach Finstock. Artemis barely had time to catch her breath before she saw the Alpha again. But instead of pursuing them, it took off in the opposite direction, despite seeing Artemis for the briefest of moments.

They then took off in another direction, only to stop when they heard the Alpha growling.

"We've got to do something," said Stiles.

"Like what?" demanded Artemis. She didn't mean to be a pessimist, but she was failing to see just what the heck they could do, short of filling the Alpha with silver and wolfsbane, neither of which they had on them.

"I don't know. Anything! Anything to slow it down," said Stiles. "Wait, I've got an idea." He took his spare keychain, which only held a small number of unimportant little metal trinkets on it, and tossed it into a room. The Alpha was actually stupid enough to fall for the decoy and as soon as Stiles had the chance, he locked the door and had Artemis slam a heavy desk in front of the door. They managed to trap it, for a few moments at least.

"We need to go now," said Artemis.

"Why? We've got it trapped. It can't get out. I'm not scared of it and heck, I'm going to take a look at it," said Stiles. "I'll just be a sec."

"Stiles, no!" hissed Artemis. Was he insane?

Stiles had enough sense to back away when the Alpha's claws nearly broke through the door, but not enough to keep quiet and not provoke it.

"I'm not scared of you, you stupid mutt!" he said.

Artemis inwardly groaned and they both felt the blood drain from their faces when the Alpha escaped by tunneling through the ceiling of the room he was trapped in and the ceiling above them started to break, causing them to run for their lives.

They ran until Artemis heard something and stopped. "Wait, stop, I hear something." She frowned. "What in the heck—?"

"What do you hear?" asked Stiles.

"Alison's phone," said Artemis. What the heck was Alison's phone doing here? Praying the sound of the ringtone meant Alison had just forgotten her phone and not that she was here, she pulled out her phone and dialed Alison's number. "Alison?"

"_Hey, I was hoping you'd call. Where are you?_" asked Alison.

"Where am I?" said Artemis, confused. "Where are you exactly?"

"_I'm at the swimming pools on the first floor._"

Artemis's heart sank. Alison, the youngest in a line of werewolf hunters was in the school where a ticked off Alpha wolf was roaming the halls. Oh, crap. "Get down to the lobby, now. I'll explain when you get there."

"_Okay,_" said Alison, sounding confused.

They ran down to the lobby and met up with Alison.

"Alison, don't take this the wrong way, but what the heck are you doing here?" asked Artemis.

Alison looked confused. "I'm here because you asked me to come. You sent me a text, remember?"

A cold shiver ran down all their spines as Artemis said, "Alison, I never sent you a text message telling you to meet me here." As if for proof, she showed them her cell phone and there were no sent text message.

"If you didn't send the text, who did?" asked Alison.

"Not important. Did you drive here?" asked Stiles, briskly.

"Jackson did," said Alison.

Just then Jackson _and _Lydia showed up, looking beyond ticked and their anger was probably directed at Artemis.

A loud thud overhead caught their attention.

"RUN!" yelled Artemis.

They all ran just as the Alpha broke through the ceiling. They ran as fast as they could while they Alpha chased them. The could hear it snarling and making animal noises which only terrified them more. They finally managed to barricade themselves in a room, only to realize afterward in horror that they'd trapped themselves in a room with an entire wall of windows. The Alpha was there and they were all sitting ducks. Wasn't that just perfect?

"Okay, would somebody please explain to me what the heck is going on? I'm freaking out here," said Alison, looking scared.

Artemis hesitated but then made a choice she hoped she was going to regret. "Alison, can I talk to you, privately?"

Alison nodded and then Artemis pulled her away to a corner where no one could hear them.  
"Alison, I'm going to tell you something you're not going to believe, but I swear to heaven it's true. Don't interrupt me until I'm done and whatever you decide afterward, I'll understand," said Artemis. "Just don't tell anyone. Okay?"

Alison nodded. Her face was a mixture of confusion, fear and interest.

"Alison, I'm not human and your family doesn't just sell firearms to the police. I'm a werewolf and your family's been hunting my kind for centuries. They're supposed to have a code of honor they stick to, but I don't know if that's true. Right now, the one that bit me and the only thing capable of turning people into werewolves is here. It's called an Alpha and it's the one that's been killing people, including the janitor. He wants me and he can make me do what he wants unless I fight him off. I don't know who he is, but Derek and I have been trying to get rid of him. I came here to trap him, but he trapped me and the rest you instead. I'm sorry. This is my fault."

Alison looked deeply shaken but her voice was steady as she said, "I want to believe you, but I need proof. Prove you're a werewolf."

"Okay, I will." Artemis forced a surge of anger through her and she showed Alison her wolf face. Surprisingly enough, Alison didn't look more afraid, but she didn't look quite happy either.

"You're a werewolf," she whispered. "Oh my gads…"

"I know it's huge, but please don't tell anyone," begged Artemis. "Please."

"I won't," said Alison. She then frowned. "Wait, you said Derek was involved. His car's out front, so where is he?"

Artemis swallowed painfully as tears came to her eyes. She told Alison what had happened and finished with, "I think he's dead. I'm hoping he's not, but I don't know for sure."

Alison's hand flew to her mouth as she looked horrified. "So what do we do? Call my family?"

"We can't do that unless we tell them how we know about the Alpha and I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I trust your family not to shoot me full of wolfsbane after tonight," said Artemis. "I don't know what to do. I only know that he wants me. We'll figure something out. Somehow."

"Okay. Let's talk to the others," said Alison.

They rejoined the group.

"What is going on?" demanded Jackson.

"That thing that's out there killed the janitor. It's the same thing that killed the bus drive and the video store clerk," announced Stiles, after Artemis gave him a look. "It wasn't a mountain lion. But we've no idea who or what it is, other than it's trying to kill us. It lured us here."

"Tell me you're joking," said Lydia.

"Do we look like we're joking?" said Stiles, exasperated.

They weren't. Jackson and Lydia finally caught on and became serious

"That's it, I'm calling the police," said Lydia. But after a few moments, she looked like she was about to vomit. "They said they got a tip about a prank call saying kids were going to break into the school and get trapped here. Who called them?"

"Who or whatever that thing is," said Artemis, sighing. "Look, we need a plan. We've got a room full of chemicals here. Maybe we could make something to use against it. Who's good at chemistry?"

After a few moments, Lydia raised her hand. "I can make a Molotov cocktail if Jackson helps," she said. A Molotov cocktail was a crude firebomb, but it would at least slow down the Alpha for a little while or make him shift to human form.

"Do that then," said Artemis.

Thankfully, they obeyed her and soon the cocktail was made. Artemis took it and was about to leave, claiming she'd be back soon but Stiles and Alison cornered her before she left.

"Artemis, this is insane. You could die!" said Alison. "Stiles just called his dad and he's on his way. Just wait for him."

"I can't. It's too big of a risk. This thing lured you here, wants us dead and is after me. I have to do this alone. Besides, I'm going to come back," said Artemis, as she tightly gripped the cocktail.

Alison shook her head. "No, you're not. Remember when you said I had a tell, so you knew I was lying? Well, so do you. You don't know if you're coming back."

"Okay, so I don't know. But there's no choice. This thing's already taken away my life and most likely the guy I love. The Alpha is out for revenge and has no reason to like your family, Alison. He wants me and I cannot lose my two best friends to him."

"That doesn't mean you should die to satisfy him," said Stiles. "You think we want to lose you?"

"Of course not, but we have no choice. Derek's been training me for weeks. If I can't face him now, I'll never be able to," said Artemis. She knew she had them there.

Stiles sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know I can't stop you from going out there, but be careful. If you die, I'm going to kill you, got that?"

Artemis nodded and then took a deep breath. "Once more onto the breach. Lock the door behind me and don't let anyone in, not even me."

Alison and Stiles reluctantly agreed and then Artemis left, not knowing if she was going to return.

XXX

Artemis walked the dark halls of the school.

Her enhanced vision and hearing allowed her to wander easily. She followed the sounds of the Alpha until she came into the school's gym. It was empty, and yet she could still hear him. She walked around and somehow managed not to scream when she saw the dead janitor hung up under the school bleachers. She managed to grab his keys off his belt right before the bleachers closed in and nearly crushed her.

Artemis was breathing hard as she tightly clutched the cocktail in one hand and the janitor's keys in the other. _Okay, you crazy mutt. Game on. _

She'd pocketed the keys and had just stood up when she found herself facing the Alpha wolf. He was slowly approaching her in a predatory stance.

"This is for Derek!" she snarled. She flung the cocktail at the Alpha as it began to charge her. But the cocktail didn't do squat as Jackson had given Lydia chlorophyll instead of the sulfuric acid it needed in order to ignite. Jackson was a dead man.

The Alpha then grabbed her and tossed her across the room before pinning her down with his front paw. His sharp claws rested on the left side of her cheek, yet they didn't pierce her skin. He let out a snarl right in her ear before tilting his head back and letting out a powerful howl.

The Alpha then disappeared, leaving Artemis alone. She let out a painful scream as she felt herself wolfing out against her will.

Fully wolfed out, Artemis stalked the halls of the school until she came upon the classroom where her friends were concealing themselves. She felt like a pure animal, fully intent of fulfilling the Alpha's wishes when she was hit with memories of Derek. The memories of him, his handsome face, his scent, his voice, sent her to the ground and within moments, she was calming down and shifting back to human form.

_Oh, gads. Oh gads. Oh my freaking gads. _Artemis was shaking as she slowly curled up against the wall, horrified by the night's events and shaken by what the Alpha had wanted her to do. The Alpha had gone and the police were arriving. The night was over, but the nightmares would last forever.

XXX

When the police arrived, they bought everyone's agreed cover story of a man luring them there and killing the school janitor. But the janitor's body wasn't found. Surprisingly enough, Alison's boss was not the Alpha and he was alright, aside from a few very minor injuries. Dr. Deaton also said that he owed his life to Artemis and was going to give her a raise, but he said nothing of Derek attacking him. But Derek was nowhere to be found as his body appeared to have vanished. Artemis had Derek's car towed her house, saying she'd borrowed it and would return it to Derek soon. Thankfully, the police believed her.

Everyone was shaken, but alright. Stiles seemed quite happy to just be alive and that they'd survived the awful night.

While the EMTs and the police did their business, Artemis kept her arms around herself and was shaking like a leaf.

"Hey, why the long face? We survived. We outlasted the Alpha," said Stiles.

Artemis shook her head. "No, we didn't. We came out here to trap him and instead he trapped us, Stiles! They haven't found Derek and you know what else I realized tonight? The Alpha knew perfectly well where we all were and if he had wanted us all dead, he could've done it. But he didn't. He wants me in his pack, but he wants me to get rid of my old pack."

"Your old pack?" repeated Stiles, looking confused.

"You, Derek, Alison, Lydia, and Jackson," said Artemis. "Don't you get it? He didn't want to kill you guys. He wanted me to. And that's not even the worst part."

"How in holy heck is that not the worst part, Artemis?" demanded Stiles, looking terrified as tears glistened in his own eyes.

"When he made me shift against my will, I barely controlled myself. Part of me wanted to do what he wanted me to and that makes me sick and scared to death, Stiles," said Artemis, as she wiped away a tear of her own. "This was a huge mistake. I should go. I should get as far away from this town as I can so I can't hurt anyone else."

"No, you shouldn't. Running away is not going to solve squat. The Alpha will just find you again and pull you back. Tonight you fought him off and you didn't give into his orders. So that means you have a chance," said Stiles, firmly. "Don't run off. Please, don't."

Artemis sighed. Stiles was right. But that didn't mean she still wasn't thinking about fleeing. She then saw Alison and walked over to her friend.

"Alison," said Artemis. "Hey, you okay?"

"Honestly, I don't know," said Alison. She folded her arms across her chest. "We were lured here, nearly killed and not only did I find out my family are actually werewolf hunters, but I also found out my best friend is a werewolf and there's some kind of psychotic werewolf out there killing people and trying to control her. Did I leave anything out?"

"No, that about sums it up," admitted Artemis. "Look, I know it's a lot to take in, believe me. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. How're you dealing with it?"

"I'm freaked out, but somehow, I'm not as freaked out as I should be, considering. Artemis, why on earth didn't you tell me about this before?" she demanded.

"Alison, I wanted to tell you. But I didn't know how to after I found out about your dad. He's a good man, but he scares me and at first, I thought you knew. Later, I thought that if you didn't know, you'd be safer. Do you forgive me?"

"Just don't lie to me again, and we'll call it good," said Alison. "How long have you known about my dad being a hunter and how did you find out? How long have you even been a werewolf?"

"I haven't been a werewolf long. I got bit the night before school started. As for your father, well, I've known for almost as long," said Artemis, sighing. "But I've never hurt anyone, I swear. My first full moon, I was out in the woods and I got shot with an arrow. Derek got me away in time, but he didn't prevent me from seeing my attacker's face. The next day, when I saw your dad in your car, I recognized him at the one who shot me, but not vice-versa. If he did know what I was, he'd probably be after me right now."

"No wonder you looked scared when you saw him," said Alison. She sighed. "Look, Artemis, I'm not going to pretend that I don't need a bit of time to think about all this, but I promise you, my dad won't find out about you from me. If he does find out, I'll tell him you're not like the Alpha, okay? You're still my best friend no matter what, I promise."

"Thanks, Al," said Artemis, as they hugged.

Despite knowing she was supposed to get a ride home with Stiles and the sheriff, Artemis then took off, searching for Derek.

XXX

The following morning, Stiles went to see Artemis.

He found her in her house. Artemis was seated on her bed, clutching her knees to her chest. Her eyes were red, as though she'd been crying. She was pale and looked like she hadn't slept a wink. She looked up when Stiles came in.

"What're you doing here?" she asked.

"You took off last night and when you didn't answer your phone, I thought I'd come by and check on you," said Stiles, as he sat beside her on the bed. "This is probably a really stupid question, but how're you doing? Are you okay, Artemis?"

"No, Stiles, I'm not. I'm so far from okay, it's not even funny," she admitted. "I nearly got all of you killed because I was being so stupid and reckless, Alison knows about her dad's world now, I almost lost you—my dorky, lovable brother for all intents and purposes—and now Derek's dead because of me."

"Arty, you can't blame yourself for what happened. The Alpha tricked you and used us all. It wasn't your fault," said Stiles, trying to comfort her, while smiling a little at her description of him. "You saved us. We're alive because of you. And why do you think Derek's dead if his body wasn't found?"

"I don't think it, I know it," said Artemis, as fresh tears pooled in her eyes. "When his body wasn't found, I was out almost all night looking for him. I searched his old house, checked the basement and even howled for him, and all I found was blood and torn bits of his clothes. He's dead, Stiles. Derek's dead and everything that's happened, everything that will happen if I don't stop the Alpha, it's on me. It's my fault."

Stiles said nothing, but pulled her into his arms and tried to comfort her as she cried. He held her close and rocked her until she grieved for the loss of the man she loved.


	8. Lunatic

Lunatic

Several days followed the incident at the school.

The high school was closed until repairs were done, the police were still searching for whatever had attacked, and the students of said incident were recovering from it. Jackson and Lydia were a little shaken, but they were fine. Stiles was quite frazzled and on edge, but it was nothing compared to Artemis's emotional distress.

Artemis was almost depressed because it seemed like Derek was truly gone and she blamed herself for her friends being in danger and nearly getting killed by the Alpha. She put up a brave face and acted strong around others, especially when she was at her job, but late at night when she was alone in her room or the basement where Derek used to reside in, she broke down in tears as she felt safe there. Stiles provided her with the kind of comfort only a best friend could, as did Alison, but little cheered her up.

No one except for Stiles and Alison knew Derek had even been there, much less how much he meant to her. Everyone else just assumed she was suffering post-traumatic stress. No one contradicted the rumors and it was for the best that no one else knew the truth.

Alison was surviving. Her father was being overprotective, but considering what had happened, it was only to be expected. Alison was keeping her word. She had not told her father that she knew of the supernatural world of which her family was a part of and nor had she revealed Artemis's secret. She'd accepted it and while she was still Artemis's best friend, she had taken up archery again as she was determined to never be weak or helpless like she was at the school again. Artemis understood her friend's feelings and agreed it would be best that Alison knew how to protect herself in case the Alpha picked her as his next target in his quest for vengeance.

Sunday night before the school reopened, Artemis went for a walk through the woods to clear her head. All it did was make things worse as she kept seeing Derek wherever she went. The woods were full of his scent and pathways they used to walk. It didn't help she kept dreaming about him and the last time she'd seen him along with feeling him.

When she came upon a rocky hill in the forest, she climbed to the top and felt the tears come again. She was grieving and angry. She wanted Derek back and she despised the Alpha for taking him away from her.

"You didn't have to take him. I loved him. Why couldn't you at least leave me a body to bury after you killed him? Why?" she whispered to the wind that blew around her. Maybe that way she'd at least have some peace.

_Derek, I miss you so much. Why did you have to go? Why didn't I tell you how I felt before he took you from me? _He'd died not knowing how much she loved him, but then again she didn't know if he would have ever reciprocated her feelings.

Sighing, she was about to head home when two morons came up to her, eyeing her with interest. One moron had a hat and the other was grinning like a buffoon.

"Well, look at what we've got here," said the Hat Moron. He let out a wolf whistle. "May I just say you are the most beautiful chick I ever laid eyes on?"

"Why ask when you're going to do it anyway?" said Artemis. She was not in the mood for this. "I have to go. If you'll excuse me, gentlemen."

She tried to leave, but the Hat Moron grabbed her arm. "Don't run away, pretty girl. We just want to talk."

"Yeah, why don't we show you the sights of Beacon Hills?" said the Grinning Moron. "And in exchange, you'll give us your number and go out with us. It'll be fun. What do you say?"

Artemis was disgusted as she glared at them. "You want to have fun?" she said, as her eyes flashed their werewolf gold. She then grabbed Hat Moron's arm and painfully yanked his wrist off her before twisting it behind his back and kneeing him hard in the stomach and knocking him down. She then let out a snarl, before smashing a rock bigger than her head into pieces by tossing it into a tree, making them both run for their lives while looking scared to death.

Once they were gone, Artemis slowly calmed down and shook herself. What the heck was wrong with her? She'd nearly wolfed out on both of them. Granted, they were jerks, but she should've been able to restrain herself. Once glance at the sky reminded her of a hard fact that had been on her mind since Derek's death—the full moon was tomorrow night and he wasn't going to be there to help her as he'd promised.

_How am I going to get through tomorrow night alone? _She knew Stiles was going to help, but she had hoped to have another werewolf with her rather than facing it by herself. Sighing yet again, she headed home and tried to get a good night's sleep.

XXX

Artemis's heart was heavy with grief and pain as she walked into school. Her mother had been more than willing to let Artemis stay home another day, but Artemis had refused. She just wanted to have one regular morning before the night's torture. Returning to school was the best thing she could do for the moment. One semi-regular day was what she needed.

At school, everyone was talking about what had occurred when the Alpha attacked, but no one knew it had been Artemis and her pack there that night thanks to the protection of minors. As she stowed away her jacket in her locker before her chemistry test, she overheard Alison and Lydia's conversation from across the hall.

"…doing okay, but I'm worried about Artemis," said Alison.

"Worried about Artemis? Alison, that girl was practically used as bait so it could kill us, she said something to you that totally freaked you out, she ditched us and locked us up in a classroom while there was some freakazoid out in the school terrorizing the crap out of us. Don't waste your time worrying about that twit. She should consider herself lucky we're not suing her or making her pay our therapy bills," said Lydia, haughtily.

"Okay, first off, it wasn't her fault she was used. Second, what she said to me is none of your business. Third, she was trying to protect us. And fourth, have you even seen her lately?" said Alison, annoyed. "She's upset and she's barely said a word since that night."

"Probably because she's wallowing in self-pity and guilt, which she totally deserves," said Lydia. "I say leave her be."

Artemis sighed and blocked out Alison's response. She didn't need to hear more. They were just saying what she was thinking—it was all her fault. And it was true; she hadn't said much since that night as she'd been trying to stay clear of everyone as much as possible because of the full moon approaching. What would happen after tonight, she had no clue as she didn't know what to do anymore, whether it was with her human life or her social life.

She took her usual seat next to Stiles in chemistry and began taking her test when Mr. Harris started the timer. She wasn't looking forward to the test as the subject in chemistry they were studying was difficult. During the test however, when she was nearly done, the question seemed to turn from inquiring about the correct solution to a rather difficult formula to the following:

_During the full moon tonight, which will you kill?_

_a rabbit_

_a deer_

_werewolf hunters_

_none of the above_

Suddenly, Artemis felt her throat tightening as she randomly circled one of the answers. She couldn't breathe and she felt beyond sick to her stomach. She needed to get out of there. Thankfully, Mr. Harris noticed.  
"Miss Moon, are you all right? You don't look well," said Mr. Harris, looking concerned.

Artemis shook her head and tried to quell the nausea she felt. "I feel like I'm going to puke. I've finished my test. Is it okay if I go?" she asked.

Mr. Harris seemed to believe her, because he nodded. "Of course," he said. "Mr. Stilinski, would you be so kind, as to escort Ms. Moon to the nurse's office?"

"Yeah, sure," said Stiles, as he grabbed his bag. "I'm done too."

Mr. Harris collected their test papers and then Artemis ran out of the classroom with Stiles helping her, feeling like she was going to lose it. Instead of going to the nurse's office, Stiles took her to the locker room when she said she couldn't breathe. She then sat under the showerhead while it ran until Stiles handed Artemis her inhaler. Somehow, using it helped her and she began to relax.

"Feel better?" asked Stiles, when he shut the water off.

Artemis shook her head. "I'm going insane, Stiles. The full moon's tonight and it's worse than last time. I feel so angry and upset all the time. Nothing I've tried to calm down is working. I want Derek back so much it hurts and I want to make the Alpha pay for taking him from me. Last night I went for a walk and I was so mad I almost wolfed out on two guys."

Stiles' widened. "You what? What happened?"

"Two jerks came up to me, tried to get me to date them," said Artemis, as she sniffled from the tears that had fallen in. "I was so mad and disgusted that all I saw in their place was the Alpha. One guy had his hand on my arm and I kind of used some of the moves Derek taught me before I smashed a rock bigger than their heads by throwing it into a tree. It scared them off, but I could've done so much worse."

"But you didn't, and that's a good thing. Don't worry about it. We'll lock you up tonight and in the morning, everything will be fine," said Stiles. "Just stay strong okay?" But she could tell he was worried by the look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Stiles," said Artemis. "I keep dragging you into my crap and nearly getting you killed. You deserve a better friend than me."

"Okay, now I know you've lost it," said Stiles. He grabbed her shoulders. "Listen to me, Artemis, you didn't drag me into anything. I got myself into this because you're practically my sister and because I care about you. And FYI, you are the best friend I could ask for. So, I don't want to hear anymore of this crap come out of your mouth, okay?"

Artemis chuckled and smiled. "Okay, Stiles."

XXX

Right before lacrosse practice later that day, Coach Finstock called a team meeting and the information he had to reveal was both good and bad.

"Everyone, due to the recent pinkeye epidemic, thank you Greenberg, the following people have made first line on a probationary basis—emphasis on the word 'probationary.' Those people are Rodriguez, Taylor and Stilinski!" said Coach Finstock.

Stiles let out a great whoop of excitement before high-fiving Artemis, who smiled at him.

"Congrats, dude. You deserve this," said Artemis.

"Thanks," said Stiles.

"Also," said Coach Finstock, loudly, catching their attention. "From here on out, starting immediately, we're switching to co-captains."

_Co-captains? _thought Artemis, stunned. There had never been co-captains of their lacrosse team before. _Is he serious? Who has he picked? _

Her heart sank when Coach Finstock grinned his sickening smile towards her and said, "For the first time in Beacon Hills history, our co-captain is a female and one of the best players I've ever seen. Congratulations, Artemis Moon!"

Despite some of the other players cheering her on, Artemis wanted to crawl under a rock, especially when she saw the look on Jackson's face. Great. Granted being co-captain was just a title, but Jackson didn't like sharing anything of his and he was already jealous of Artemis's sudden success. Now he had one more reason to hate her guts. While Coach Finstock was firm in his belief that her new status didn't take anything from Jackson and only made the team stronger, she knew she was a dead woman if Jackson had his way.

"Dude, can you believe this? You're a captain and we're having our first game together? I'm freaking first line!" said Stiles, excitedly.

"I know. It's great. You deserve it," said Artemis, smiling. Stiles would be a great player and survive many games. Whether or not she'd survive practice was another matter entirely. "I'm really happy for you Stiles. You've earned this."

"So, what's with the sad eyes?" asked Stiles.

"It's nothing. The full moon's just amplified everything and Jackson's jealousy smelled worse than a skunk," said Artemis.

Stiles looked stunned. "You could smell the jealousy? I thought it was just _his _emotions you could sense," he said.

"It's the full moon and why are you looking at me like that?" asked Artemis, not liking the look on his face.

"Well, you know I've had that crush on Lydia since forever. Is there any chance you could try and sense if she's attracted to me or at least ask her if she would consider going to the formal with me?" asked Stiles.

"What? Stiles, she hates my guts right now and you cannot ask another guy's girlfriend out on a date!" said Artemis, exasperated. "Besides, you are completely out of Lydia's league. She's a shallow, self-centered gossiper. You're nothing like that. She doesn't deserve a guy like you."

"Would you let me decide who deserves me or not?" said Stiles, sounding annoyed. "Please, I just want to know if I have a chance with her. Just talk to her for me and I'll you pick the movies for our Friday night movie night for two weeks."

Artemis sighed. "Fine," she said. Considering how much Stiles had done for her, this was the least she could do. "There're a few minutes before practice. I'll talk to her now."

Somehow she just knew she was going to regret this.

Lydia was on the lacrosse field watching them play while preening herself as per usual and Artemis went up to her. "Lydia, can I talk to you for a second?"

"No," said Lydia, flatly, as she looked over her reflection her compact mirror.

Artemis sighed. _Great. Not even two minutes and she's already shooting me down. _"Look, I know you're mad about the night at the school and I'm sorry about it, but can I please just talk you about one little thing and then I'll go away? Two minutes, that's all I ask."

"Fine," said Lydia, irritated, as she shut her compact. "You have one minute and fifty-eight seconds left. Talk."

"My friend Stiles, is there any chance you might like him, even a little?" asked Artemis. She didn't smell any attraction emitting from Lydia, but she had to at least ask. "He thinks the world of you. Any chance you might consider going to the Winter Formal with him?"

Lydia just cruelly laughed. "I'll only go to the formal with that geek when pigs fly or if Jackson and I break up. Now, I believe you have practice and your two minutes are up, Moon. Bye-bye."

_Well, this is just perfect. How do I break this to Stiles? _Artemis didn't know what to do as she headed to practice and took her place on the lacrosse field. Practice was going to be a nightmare today, she just knew it.

XXX

As predicted, practice was terrible that day as some of Jackson's most loyal packdogs had tried to make Artemis's life miserable by knocking her painfully down. With the approaching full moon amplifying her emotions and skills, Artemis had been beyond mad and nearly wolfed out on them. Instead, she'd just given them a taste of their own medicine. They were fine except for some bruises and damaged egos, but she'd proved to the team she'd earned her title and her behavior worried Stiles.

And she had yet to tell Stiles what had happened when she'd spoken with Lydia.

Artemis couldn't decide if the full moon was acting more like red kryptonite from _Smallville _or the alien symbiote from _Spider-Man_, because it seemed as though the more the night went on and the moon got higher, the less like herself she was and her control was slipping away. Her inhibitions was leaving her and she didn't like it.

Thankfully, plans for tonight had already been decided and were being enacted. Artemis wasn't about to risk anyone's life during the full moon, so she had Stiles lock her up in a shark cage they'd rented over the internet and chain her wrists to the bars. Said shark cage was down in her basement. She'd also made Stiles swear that no matter what she said or what he heard during the full moon, he wasn't to let her out for any reason and if he had to, he'd use wolfsbane or call the Argents.

That night, Artemis was waiting in the shark cage for Stiles to arrive with the handcuffs and other things he might need. When he finally arrived and switched on the light, he nearly jumped out of his skin to see her there.

"Dude, I thought you were in your room. You scared the heck out of me. You've picked up Batman's disappearing act," said Stiles, clutching his heart. "I see you already got in the cage."

"Figured I'd get it over and done with, seeing as how even though I wanted to have an early night, you'd just pester me until I gave in to your little request," said Artemis, sounding bored. She had a dangerous look in her eyes that Stiles didn't like. "Did you bring the handcuffs?"

"Yeah, yeah, I brought them." Stiles took them out of his bag and quickly handcuffed her and locked the cage. He didn't think locking her up in a room full of Derek's scent was a good idea, but he hadn't been able to persuade her to do otherwise. "So, did you talk to Lydia?"

"Yeah, I talked to her," said Artemis.

"And what'd she say? Does she like me?" asked Stiles, eagerly.

"Let's just say that twit of a girl will be lucky not to get a visit from me for what she said about you," snarled Artemis, as her eyes flashed their werewolf gold. "Or maybe I'll just ask the Alpha to pay her a visit. I'm sure he'd love to."

Stiles looked petrified and felt disappointed. Lydia had rejected him and apparently whatever she'd said had made Artemis furious. "Well, how about we sleep on this and worry about it tomorrow?" he said.

"How can I sleep when there's so much to do?" hissed Artemis. She took a deep breath and exhaled delighted. "Do you smell that? Everything smells like food." She then extended her fangs and looked like a total monster. "Stiles, let me out of here or I'm going to kill you, I swear to heaven!"

"Not a chance, Artemis. I'll see you in the morning. Bye," said Stiles, as he shut and locked the basement door.

For hours into the night, Stiles had difficulty stopping himself from unlocking the door and letting Artemis out of the shark cage as the sounds she was making were like a knife to his heart. He'd brought earplugs, they didn't block out Artemis's cries. She screamed in agony when the moon made her wolf out against her will and then she kept yelling for Stiles to let her out—she even begged. But Stiles didn't give in as he kept reminding himself of what would happen if Artemis got free and his promise to her.

However, when all fell silent, Stiles became scared. "Artemis, you okay?" he asked. He got no reply. Quickly, he opened the basement door and went down to the basement, only to gasp in horror by what he saw.

The handcuffs were on the floor completely broken and the shark cage was scrap metal. Worse, the basement window was open and Artemis was gone. She'd broken free and was now out in Beacon Hills, without any control.

"Oh, crap," muttered Stiles. He got into his car and drove off, looking for Artemis and hoping he wasn't going to find something bad.

XXX

Artemis was fully embracing her inner beast as she ran through the woods on all fours. She felt free and she wanted payback from those who'd wronged her and those she loved. She wanted the Alpha gone, she wanted him to pay for killing Laura and Derek as well as those other people. But when she couldn't find him, she decided she'd settle for the next best thing. She let out a powerful howl before she picked up two familiar scents and heard voices she despised.

Seated in an expensive car in a parking lot were Jackson and Lydia talking and watching a movie using the DVD player of Jackson's car. Jackson had given her nothing but grief for years and Lydia had broken her best friend's heart. They needed to be punished, severely for their actions.

Artemis leapt onto the top of the car and was about to tear through the roof with her claws when another werewolf jumped at her and knocked her down, causing her to roll down a hill in the woods. She was knocked into a tree and then pinned there.

"Huntress, stop!"

Artemis's ears perked up when she heard this and smelled a familiar scent. _Huntress? The only one who calls me that is…_

Artemis shifted back to her human form as she stared at the man before.

"Derek?" said Artemis, shocked.

"Hey, Artemis," said Derek, smiling as he pulled back. "Miss me?"

Derek wasn't dead. He was alive. He was okay! For a brief moment, Artemis was silently frozen in place and then instead of hugging him or telling him how much she missed him and how glad she was that he was alive, she punched him hard in the jaw, hard enough to send him stumbling backwards and do a bit of damage.

"Ow," said Derek, clutching his dislocated yet quickly healing jaw. "What was that for?"

Artemis nearly popped a vein and barely restrained herself from wolfing out again in her anger. "What was that for?" she repeated. "YOU STUPID JERK, WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT WAS FOR?" She then started hitting him on the chest. "You've been alive this whole time and you didn't think to tell me? What, did you lose the ability to making a freaking phone call? You're such a stupid, selfish, arrogant jerk! I thought you were dead! Do you have _any_ idea what the past few days have been like for me? I thought you were _dead!_"

Derek said nothing as he let her keep punching him until she finally stopped before she fell to her knees, crying as he held her close. She buried her face in his shoulder and returned the embrace. For a long time, they just sat there, holding each other, not saying a word until Artemis was sufficiently calmed down.

"You stupid jerk. If you ever do that to me again, I'll shoot you full of wolfsbane myself, I swear to heaven," she said, slightly muffled by his leather jacket. "I thought the Alpha had killed because of me. Why in the heck didn't you call me or send some kind of message that you weren't dead?"

"I'm sorry," murmured Derek. "I never meant to scare you and I didn't want to hurt you like that. I was in no shape to fight. I had to heal up and I barely got away to safety in time. I couldn't do much of anything until I was healed up. I've been in a healing coma for days and only just got out of it. Wounds caused by an Alpha wolf take longer to heal than others. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before, believe me."

"Just don't ever do that to me again," said Artemis. She didn't think she could handle losing him twice. She took a few deep breaths as Derek helped her to stand up. "Derek, what's happening to me?" She'd nearly gone after Jackson and Lydia. Granted she didn't like them but she didn't want them dead. What was going on with her?

"What he wants to," said Derek. "Come on. The worst of the night's over. I'll take you home."

Without another word, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her out of the woods.

XXX

It was not a good night for the hunters. They'd failed to catch the Alpha or find out who the second beta wolf was, and worse still, the Alpha had just flambéed two guys in the woods—the same people Artemis had restrained herself from wolfing out on.

After checking on Alison, who was sound asleep in her bed, Chris went to see what Kate was up to as she'd been holed up in her room lately. He was not pleased when he saw all the maps, along with pictures and files of a certain teenaged girl.

"Don't you ever knock?" said Kate, as he entered room.

"Kate, why do you have files on Artemis Moon?" asked Chris, ignoring her question.

"Because she's quite interesting and my research is proving to be a bit fruitful," said Kate, as she skimmed through Artemis's Facebook page.

"Meaning?" demanded Chris. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this.

"Remember when you said you came across two beta wolves? You said one of them was smaller than the other," said Kate. "Well, was the second beta just a smaller male or is it possible the beta was younger and female?"

"What're you saying?" asked Chris.

"Artemis Moon, Alison's friend, the one who hangs out with the sheriff's son. She's been seen with Derek Hale quite a lot, talking to him. Alison said he was her guest when they all went bowling a few weeks ago and he seemed protective of her. Artemis's dad was into hunting and someone hit me with a tranquilizer dart when I staked out Derek's place. I shot Derek with a wolfsbane bullet and yet somehow he's perfectly fine after Artemis stays over for dinner at our place and a bullet goes missing from my bag. Coincidence? I think not. What if Artemis is the second beta wolf?" said Kate.

"Artemis Moon?" said Chris, skeptically. He couldn't think of it. Artemis Moon, his daughter's best friend, a werewolf? But then again, looks could be deceiving. Could Artemis Moon actually be a werewolf? "Regardless of what you have here, until we have proof of the second beta's identity, we'll just watch and take no further action. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," said Kate.

But that was a lie and a half.

XXX

Meanwhile, Derek was taking Artemis home.

He carried her into her house and tucked her into her bed after helping her take off her jacket and shoes. He then curled up beside her and held her hand in his. "Huntress, you're trembling. Talk to me," he murmured.

Artemis sighed. "Derek, I'm scared," she confessed. "I'm scared of the Alpha, especially after what I've seen what he's capable of. I'm scared of losing the ones I care about to him and to this freaking mess. I'm scared what I am and I'm scared of what _I'm _capable of. What just happened, I don't want to happen again. Is there really a way to control this or a cure?"

Derek sighed. "The control thing we can work on, but I'm not entirely sure about the cure. I've heard of one, but I have no idea if it's true."

"What is it?" asked Artemis. _Whatever the cure is, I'll take it._

"They say if you kill the one who bit you, the lycanthropy will be gone," said Derek.

Artemis inwardly groaned. To be human, she had to kill the Alpha? Why did her life have to get so much more difficult? Yet, at the same time, she felt relieved to know that there was at least a possibility for a cure.

"Artemis, one way or another, I will help you," said Derek. "We're going to get through this, I promise. We'll find the Alpha and make all of this right. I'm not leaving you again, I promise."

Artemis said nothing as she slowly fell asleep, feeling comforted by Derek's presence.


	9. Wolf's Bane

Wolf's Bane

Several nights following the full moon, Artemis, Stiles and Derek were back on the hunt for the Alpha. This time, he was after Artemis's chemistry teacher, Mr. Harris. He would've been slain by the Alpha had Derek and Artemis not gotten to him in time. They forced him down just as the Alpha flung one of the desks at the wall.

However, right then the Alpha disappeared.

Derek let out an angry growl. "Dang it!" he yelled.

"Derek, calm down," said Artemis. She understood his frustration, but there'd be time to catch the Alpha later. They turned to Mr. Harris, who looked terrified. "Miss Moon, Mr. Hale, what're you doing here?"

"Besides saving your neck? We're here to talk," said Artemis. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this, talking as she just had to a teacher of all people!

"About what?" asked Mr. Harris.

Derek pulled out a list of names from his pocket. They were all similar, except only one had a check on it instead of a cross. "My sister, Laura, was looking for you before she was killed." Derek had been persuaded to turn in his sister's body by making an anonymous call to the police. Since the Alpha had killed her, there was no chance of him being linked to her murder. "You want to explain to me why she was looking for you?"

Mr. Harris looked as though he wanted to refuse to talk and run, but one look from them persuaded him otherwise. He sighed and sat down. "You'd better sit down."

They sat down.

"Years ago, I was at a bar and I met this girl. In my defense, I don't normally talk that much and I had more than I usually do," he said.

"Skip the prologue," said Derek, glaring. "Tell me about the girl and what you told her."

"As I said, I talked after I had a lot to drink. She kept asking questions about what I do and what knew. Do you have any idea what it's like to have someone really interested in the subject of chemistry? Well, I did that night. Anyway, we talked about a lot of interesting stuff. How to melt the lock of a bank vault, how to dissolve a body and get away with murder, how to…"

"Start a fire and get away with arson?" interrupted Derek, looking furious.

Mr. Harris looked beyond regretful and ashamed as he nodded. "And then a week later, came the Hale Fire."

"Why didn't you go to the police?" asked Artemis. She couldn't believe that her chemistry teacher of all people had been an accessory and hadn't told the police what he knew.

"I couldn't. Being an accomplice would've ended my teaching career and I love my work too much," said Mr. Harris. He sighed as he looked down. "But not a day goes by that I don't regret that night or think about what happened."

Derek still looked angry, but he restrained himself. "What about the girl?"

"Your sister asked the same questions. I don't know her name and I barely remember what she looked like," said Mr. Harris. "I'll point you in the same direction I pointed her. She was wearing a family heirloom, a pendant."

Derek pulled out another paper out of his jacket. "Was this it?" The paper had a sketch on it.

Mr. Harris nodded. "That's it. You find the girl wearing that necklace, there's your arsonist."

"Murderer," corrected Artemis.

Mr. Harris's eyes widened. "Excuse me."

"Arson happens to property. This girl's a murderer," said Derek, as they got up. "Do yourself a favor and tell the police what you know. Otherwise, the next time that thing comes looking for you, you might find yourself without protection."

Without waiting for a reply, they took off and went to the parking lot where Derek's car was waiting for them.

"Give me your keys," said Artemis.

"Why?" demanded Derek.

"Because I think it's best if I drive. Once I tell you what I know about that pendant, you'll be so ticked, you'll kill us both if you drive," said Artemis.

Derek tossed her his keys and then they drove off.

"Where've you seen this before?" he asked.

Artemis sighed. "That's Alison's necklace. She got it for her birthday from Kate."

Derek's eyes flashed their werewolf blue. "Are you serious?"

"I wish I wasn't."

On Alison's birthday, Artemis had complimented Alison's new and beautiful necklace and Alison had told her it'd been a birthday present from her aunt.

"Look, we'll deal this somehow. If Mr. Harris tells the police what he knows, she'll get caught," said Artemis.

"You'd better be right. In the meantime, I want you to get that pendant from Alison. It should be easy, considering she knows now." When Artemis had gotten Derek caught up on what he'd missed while in his healing coma, he had been less-than thrilled to learn that Alison knew of Artemis's secret.

"Would you stop about that, please? And anyway, why do we need the pendant?" asked Artemis.

"Because it might lead us to the Alpha. I don't care how you do it, just get it from her," said Derek. "It's our only link."

"Okay, okay, I'll get the necklace," said Artemis.

They came up to her house and hid his car before they went to bed. Derek went to the basement and Artemis went up to her room.

XXX

At school the next day, Artemis had just collected her textbooks from her locker and was about to go meet Alison and Stiles when her locker suddenly slammed shut and Jackson appeared, looking like the cat who'd just swallowed the canary.

"Jackson, what can I do for you?" she asked, warily.

"Funny you should ask, considering I want something from you," said Jackson. "I know what you are, Moon."

Artemis just stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"I know what you are," repeated Jackson. "You're a werewolf."

Artemis just chuckled and acted like she wasn't the least bit fazed. "You're insane. There's no such thing as werewolves." Inside she was screaming. How in the heck did Jackson find out? "I don't know what you're on about, but I think maybe you should take a break from lacrosse for a while. You've taken one too many blows to the head."

"You can't lie to me, Moon. I know the truth, you freak," said Jackson, smirking evilly. "Look, I don't care how it happened to you, but you're going give it to me. If you don't, I'll tell everyone what I know and you'll be a dead woman. I'll see you at the lacrosse game."

And with that, he walked off just as Stiles and Alison came up to her.

"Hey, you didn't show. What happened? What did Jackson want?" asked Stiles.

"He wanted me to know that he knows my secret," said Artemis. "He knows I'm a werewolf."

Stiles and Alison looked stunned.

"How in the heck did he find out?" asked Stiles.

"I have no freaking clue," said Artemis. "But the point is, if I don't turn him into a werewolf, he's going to spill. He's going to talk to me at tonight's game."

"Well, he doesn't have any real proof. Who could he tell that would believe him?" asked Alison.

"How about your family?" said Artemis.

"Oh, crud," said Alison, wincing. "Well, he doesn't know about my family, so that gives us a bit of time. Should we tell Derek about Jackson?"

"Tell Derek? Are you insane?" said Artemis, looking appalled. "You know how Derek is! If Derek finds out about Jackson, Derek will rip him to shreds!" She appreciated Derek's protectiveness of her, but she had no doubt if he knew Jackson was blackmailing her, he was a dead man.

"But maybe Derek will just get him to keep his mouth shut if we ask him to," said Stiles, weakly. But they both knew that wasn't true.

"We don't know that. And under no circumstances is Derek to find out about this from any of us. I don't want him getting into more trouble. Got it?"

They both nodded.

Artemis sighed. "I don't know what to do. I need a cure _now_. If Jackson blabs, I'm dead." She ran her hands through her hair as they walked to class. "Derek and I found something else out last night. Six years ago, Kate got Mr. Harris drunk and he told her how to get away with arson. The Alpha almost killed him last night."

"So, that's why my dad put him on a twenty-four hour protective detail. I was wondering about that," said Stiles.

Alison paled. "So, my aunt was involved with the Hale Fire. Does that mean the rest of my family was?"

"I have no idea. Alison, I'm going to need to borrow your pendant she gave you. Derek thinks it'll lead us to the Alpha somehow."

"Well, I don't have it on me. I left it at home. You can get it from my room. My window's unlocked and the necklace is hanging on my jewelry stand," said Alison. "My mom's taking me out with my aunt today or I'd just get it for you myself."

"Okay, fine."

"And in the meantime, I'm going to try and find out who sent that text message, but it'll take time and finesse," said Stiles.

"Not too much time, I hope. We've got a game tonight. It's quarterfinals and it's your first game, remember?" said Artemis.

Stiles nodded. "Is Derek still living in your basement?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Call him and tell him to meet me at my place after school," said Stiles.

Artemis nodded and did as Stiles told her to.

Throughout the day, Artemis nearly had another panic attack as Jackson kept harassing her. He knew she could hear him and kept saying stuff that either scared her or made her mad. He seemed quite smug and was expecting Artemis to follow up on his ridiculous demands.

Because of his smugness and delusions that lycanthropy would make him a god and therefore superior to everyone else, he even dumped Lydia in a text message, saying he'd decided to "rid his life of dead weight." By the end of the day, Artemis was on the verge of calling Derek and was almost having a panic attack.

Unless she got cured or Jackson disappeared, she was complete and utterly doomed.

XXX

When school was over, Stiles immediately went home and began typing furiously on his laptop until he heard his name called.

"Yeah, Da—Derek?" said Stiles. He'd just turned around expecting see his father, but saw Derek in his room. Derek just beckoned for him to be shut it and then pointed to the door. Sheriff Stilinski was coming right up.

Quickly Stiles left his room and shut the door. The last thing he wanted to do was explain why Derek had somehow gotten into the house when all the doors were locked.

"Yeah, Dad?" said Stiles.

"Listen, I've got something to take care of, but I want you to know that I'll be there tonight for your game," said Sheriff Stilinski. He smiled. "I'm very happy for you and I'm proud."

"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot," said Stiles, happily. "Can you believe I'm actually first line? I'm so excited, I feel like I could fly to the moon."

Sheriff Stilinski laughed. "Good for you, son. Well, I'll see you at your game."

"Yeah, sure," said Stiles.

As soon as he was gone, Stiles shut the door and sighed in relief as Derek looked impatient.

"Did Artemis get the necklace?"

"No, Alison didn't have it on her at school, so she's going over to Alison's house to get it as we speak," said Stiles. "And in the meantime, there's something else we can try. The night we were trapped in the school, Alison was lured there because she thought she'd received a text from Artemis to meet here there."

"So?"

"So, Artemis never sent that text," said Stiles, impatiently.

Derek looked interested. "Can you find out who sent it?"

"No, but I know someone who can. Danny's coming over and he's a major computer nerd. According to his arrest record, he did some pretty serious stuff when he was thirteen. Trust me, he can trace it. He'll be over here in five minutes," said Stiles.

"How'd you get him to do this?" asked Derek.

"I told him if he did it, I'd pay him fifty bucks," said Stiles.

Just then Danny arrived and after a bit of work, he was able to trace the text to Alison's phone that night. Unfortunately, the results were not that pleasant. The text had been sent from Melissa Moon's computer at the hospital from her e-mail account.

Stiles and Derek looked at each other and were both thinking the same thing: why had Artemis's mother sent the text?

XXX

Meanwhile, Artemis was sneaking into Alison's house.

No one seemed to be home and the window was unlocked, allowing her perfect access to Alison's room. The necklace was hanging on Alison's jewelry stand just as she'd said. Feeling relieved, Artemis pocketed the necklace and was almost out of the house when she bumped into Chris Argent, who'd just gotten home.

"Ah! Oh, jeez," said Artemis, startled. "Hi, Chris."

"Artemis," said Chris, looking a little confused. "What brings you here?"

"I left my history notes here last time I was studying with Alison and I came to get them. I wasn't trying to break in, but the door was open so, I thought I'd just grab my stuff and go," lied Artemis. As if for proof, she showed him one of her spare notes, which thankfully she'd left in her jeans pocket.

"It's fine, Artemis," said Chris. "In fact, why don't you come in for a drink? I'd like to talk to you about something."

Unable to come up with a good excuse, Artemis followed him into the house and he opened up the fridge.

"What can I get you? I've got lemon-lime soda, milk, water and beer," said Chris.

"I'll have some soda. Thanks," said Artemis. "I can't stay too long. I've got a game tonight."

"I understand. This won't take too long, I promise." Chris pulled out a beer for himself and a can of Sprite for Artemis.

"Thanks," said Artemis. She took a sip of her soda. "So, what'd you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, it's more like I'm curious about something," said Chris. His smile faded and he looked serious. "How well do you know Derek Hale?"

Artemis felt the blood drain from her face, but she forced herself to be calm and she looked it. "Derek? Well, we've been friends since I was a kid. Why?"

"Just curious," said Chris. "Word is you two are dating."

"That's a lie, because we're not," said Artemis. She was in love with him, but they weren't dating. He didn't even know how she felt about him.

"How'd you meet him?" asked Chris.

"He saved me from a rabid dog. We became friends after that. After he moved away after the Hale Fire, I didn't see him again for six years. He surprised me with a visit weeks ago."

"But you kept in touch with him after he left Beacon Hills?"

She nodded. "Just a few phone calls and e-mails, but that was it."

"Did he give you that necklace you're always wearing?" asked Chris.

Without thinking, Artemis touched her necklace and her silence was enough of an answer for Chris, who had her sit in the living room.

"You know, it seems like you're the only one who really spends time with Derek Hale. Care to explain why?"

"That's not true. He sees other people and Stiles talks to him sometimes," said Artemis. "They've never really gotten along, but they tolerate each other."

"Yet Alison told me when he went bowling with you, he seemed very protective of you."

"That's because Derek's my friend and he acts that way around his friends. And no offense, Chris, but why does it seem like you're interrogating me? Derek and I have done nothing wrong and my friendships really aren't any of your business."

"I'm not trying to interrogate you. You don't need to get angry or be afraid of me, Artemis. I'm just concerned for my daughter's best friend," said Chris. He sat down beside her. "Your safety and Alison's mean a great deal to me. I think about it a lot."

"Would you believe I told you that I think about it too? Alison is my best friend. One of the few I actually have here. She's practically the sister I never had. That night at the school, everything I did, every action I took was to make sure she and the others were safe!" said Artemis. It had been bad enough thinking the Alpha had slain Derek that night. Losing her friends would've broken her further.

Chris actually seemed pleased by her answer. "I've just got one more thing to ask you."

"Shoot," said Artemis. _What else could he possibly want to know?_

"Look me in the eye for a moment." When she looked straight at him, he asked, "Are you in love with Derek Hale?"

Artemis didn't reply and her lack of response had Chris stand up.

"You should go. You don't want to be late for your game," he said.

"Okay," said Artemis.

_I'm totally dead! _she thought as she rode off on her bike for her lacrosse game. Derek was going to kill her when he found out.

XXX

At the lacrosse game, while Stiles was busy prepping himself for his first lacrosse game ever, Artemis spent her free time before she was to play, talking to Derek on her cell phone. He was following up on a lead to the Alpha.

"Derek, would you relax? He doesn't know anything," said Artemis. She was trying to calm him down. She'd just told him about what had occurred at Alison's. "Can we please just focus on the necklace?"

"_Yeah, yeah fine. What'd you find? Is there anything on the back of it?_" asked Derek. "_There's got to be something—an inscription, an opening, something!_"

"No, it's flat. And no, it doesn't open," said Artemis. "I've searched every inch of it and there's nothing except for the engraving which is just like the picture I sent. And what the heck kind of a lead are you following anyway?"

"_I found out where that text that Argent girl came from and now I'm trying to find out who it came from,_" said Derek.

"And you're doing this without backup why?" demanded Artemis. After what had happened at the school, she would've thought he'd bring her with him or at least bring Stiles.

"_Because I don't want you getting involved until I know for sure what I'm dealing with_," said Derek. "_Just play your game. You should be fine, but make sure that Stiles or that Argent girl keep you calm on the field if you start to struggle for any reason._"

"Okay, fine. But if you end up dead or in another healing coma because of this, I'm going to kill you," said Artemis. "Call me by the end of the game. If you haven't, I'll know something's wrong." Actually she'd know by either sensing him or maybe getting another flash of his memories, but she had yet to speak to Derek about that. "Stay safe."

"_I will if you will_," said Derek. "_I've got to go. I'll call you later."_

"Alright. Bye."

Right after she hung up her phone and put it somewhere safe, much to her disgust, Jackson came over and sat down beside her.

"If you start harassing me again, I'm telling the sheriff and getting a restraining order," she growled. She was not in the mood for his crap.

"Don't have a meltdown, Moon. I just want a question answered," asked Jackson. "Do you have to get bitten to become like you?"

Artemis sighed. "How about this? I'll answer your question if you tell me why it is you think I'm a werewolf." If he didn't have good proof, she could find some way to keep him quiet.

Jackson showed her the back of his neck, revealing nasty-looking scars. "Your boyfriend Derek Hale did this to me when he came to the school looking for you and I made him mad. Ever since then, I keep seeing things and knowing things I shouldn't know until I finally pieced it together."

_Derek, I'm going to kill you. _Artemis knew she was caught and it wasn't even entirely her fault. How had Derek forgotten that memories could be transferred through a scratch?

She sighed again. "To answer your question, yes. In order to become like me, you need to be bitten."

Jackson looked pleased. "So, you really are a werewolf. I knew it. Give me the bite after the game."

"I'm not doing it," said Artemis.

"Yes, you are. Or I'll spill the beans on your little secret," said Jackson, warningly.

"You're not listening to me, you jerk. I'm not doing it because I can't," growled Artemis.

"What do you mean you can't? Why can't you?"

"One, I can't because I'm just a beta wolf. Two, the only who can turn people is an Alpha and I have no idea who or where he is, only that he's a murderer. Who do you think locked us up that night in the school and tried to kill us and nearly attacked you at the video store and who's been murdering people lately? Three, you don't want this. Trust me, it's so much more complicated than you think. And four, if you become a werewolf, the hunters will be looking for you and if they find out who you are, they'll kill you," said Artemis.

"What hunters?" demanded Jackson, frowning in confusion.

"Werewolf hunters. They've been hunting my kind for centuries and a lot of them don't care if you haven't hurt anyone or not. If they find out you're a werewolf, they'll kill you," said Artemis. "There's an entire family of them, and have AK-47 semi-automatic rifles."

"You're joking," said Jackson, laughing.

"This isn't a joke, you dipstick!" hissed Artemis. No wonder Jackson was just a C student. He was a complete and utter idiot! "Jackson, you have no idea what you're trying to get yourself into. I didn't ask for this. Any choice I had was taken from me. Yeah, with lycanthropy comes power, but there's so much more to it. You have to constantly keep yourself calm or you shift right on the spot and the transformations at the full moon are not fun! Worse, if you get turned, the hunters will find out and they will kill you. Being a werewolf's not what it's cracked up to be. You don't want this. It's a curse."

"All the more reason for you give it to me," said Jackson. "You don't want it, and you don't deserve it, whereas I do. Find the Alpha and get him to bite me within a week or else I'll expose your little secret."

Artemis glared at him. What did it take to get through to this numbskull?

"Okay, fine, whatever. Do what you want. But, one warning: Derek's a werewolf too and his temper is a lot worse than mine, especially when people he cares about are threatened. If he finds out that you know what I am and that you're blackmailing me, he'll tear you to pieces without thinking twice," said Artemis coolly, as Jackson turned deathly pale and looked frightened. "Think about that, and see if you still want to be like us, Jackson. It's your funeral, after all."

She wouldn't actually tell Derek unless Jackson tried to make good on his threat, but warning Jackson of Derek's temper would at least give her a few days to find another way to deal with Jackson. She could only hope that she would.

XXX

Meanwhile, Derek was at the hospital trying to find out what had happened that night the Alpha had trapped Artemis and the others in the school.

He hadn't told Artemis about any of this because he and Stiles had agreed until they had more information, she couldn't know. How could they possibly tell her that her own mother might've been the one who'd lured innocent people to Alpha? Not to mention, Derek was not about to risk Artemis's neck in another Alpha hunt, not like this.

He frowned when he didn't find Melissa Moon or Jennifer, the nurse who'd been looking after his uncle Peter. When he entered his uncle's room, he found it empty. His uncle wasn't there. His uncle had been a burnt vegetable for six years. How could he suddenly just leave his room, unless…Derek's blood ran cold as a horrifying realization hit him.

No wonder the Alpha had gone after Artemis in the first place. No wonder why the Alpha had known to lure Alison to the school. He'd known because Derek had talked to him about both girls. The only person he'd told was his supposed brain-dead uncle.

Peter Hale was the Alpha.

Derek turned his head to his right and saw his uncle, wearing his usual attire of a dark blue shirt, black pants, shoes and a large black overcoat, looking fine except for half his face being burnt. Peter's nurse was on his left, looking cold as ice. Jennifer had been helping Peter. How else could he have known about the people he killed? With the hospital records at her finger tips, they were practically signing their own death certificates.

"Hello, Derek," he said.

Derek let out a snarl after quickly knocking out Jennifer with his elbow.

"Tut-tut, nephew of mine. That was my nurse," said Peter.

Derek glared at him, feeling furious. His own uncle had been the source of the town's problems. "Your nurse is a psychotic cow who's been helping you kill people, including Laura! And you turned Artemis against her will! You're a dead man."

Peter just approached him. "You think I killed Laura, my own kin, on purpose?"

Derek just let out a vicious growl before attacking him. He leapt at Peter, only to be slammed into the wall and then hoisted up by the throat. His strength was nothing compared to Peter's Alpha wolf strength. He fruitlessly struggled against Peter's grip as he was dragged into another room.

"Derek, my mind, my personality were literally burned out of me. I was driven by pure instinct." He dropped Derek and then took keys out of Jennifer's pocket.

"You want forgiveness?" hissed Derek. He punched Peter and kicked his chest, only be painfully head butted and then knocked painfully down.

"What I want from you, is understanding," said Peter, coldly. "Do you have any idea what it was like for me, during those years? I was slowly healing cell by cell, and it was even slower coming back to consciousness. Yes, becoming an Alpha, taking that from Laura, pushed me over a plateau in the healing process, but I can't help that."

"And turning Artemis? I suppose you just couldn't help that either?" growled Derek. He took swings at Peter, only to be either dodged or blocked by his uncle, who then forced him down onto his knees by twisting his wrist.

"Miss Moon's transformation was necessary. Once I became the Alpha, I needed to start my pack. She seemed like a suitable first pick, considering your closeness with her," said Peter. "You know, Derek, I did try to warn you about what was happening. But alas, here we are."

He grabbed Derek and flung him through a sheet of glass. Derek then painfully dragged himself into a dark corner as he healed and Peter followed him. With some difficulty, he propped himself up against the wall as he tried to catch his breath. He wouldn't end up in another healing coma, but he was hurt bad.

"I was going to wait for dramatic flair," said Peter. He gazed at himself in a small mirror and flipped it. Before the mirror had finished spinning, his burns were completely gone and he looked normal again. "But when you look this good, why wait? Derek, you have to give me a chance to explain. After all, we're family."

Derek just glared at Peter. The explanation had better be good or he was going to make sure Peter paid dearly for his actions.


	10. CoCaptain

Co-Captain

Artemis took the longest shower of her life after the lacrosse game. The shower was a source of solace for her as the rushing hot water seemed to block out noises and wash away her troubles.

She had her own private stall where no male could enter so she could change and shower before and after practices and games. Tonight's game had been a success. They'd won and were going to state. Everyone was excited and Artemis had gained more of her teammates' favor by passing the ball to them several times during the game.

She'd just dried off and changed into her regular clothes when the lights switched off. Artemis's werewolf senses immediately went up. The lights were dead and there seemed to be no one around, but that could easily change.

She looked around and soon found Derek, looking conflicted. "Derek, what's wrong?" she asked, not liking the look on his face or what she was feeling from him. "What happened?"

Derek just beckoned to behind her with his head.

Artemis turned around was stunned to see Derek's uncle completely healed and up and about. He was examining one of the lacrosse nets.

"I really don't understand lacrosse," said Peter. "When I was in high school, we played basketball. Now there's a real sport."

Artemis's heart skipped a beat when she recognized Peter's scent. "You. You're the Alpha wolf." Derek's uncle was the one responsible for everything that had happened: her being turned, Laura's death, the murders of the other men, everything! She looked at Derek, horrified. Why in the heck was he just letting Peter stand there, talking?

"Still, I read somewhere that lacrosse comes from Native America tribes and that they played it to resolve conflict," said Peter, as though Artemis hadn't spoken. "Is that right?" He frowned and then shrugged before putting the net down. "I have a conflict of my own to resolve, Artemis. But I need your help to do it."

"And what makes you think I want to help you murder people?" she demanded. How could he possibly think she'd willingly help him after all he'd done? He'd turned her, murdered people including his own niece and tried to force her to kill her old pack.

"I'm not murdering anyone. I'm just delivering justice to the responsible ones. You see, Artemis, the people that I killed weren't innocent little humans. Every one of them was involved my family's massacre," said Peter.

"And I'm supposed to believe that? You tried to make me kill my friends, even though they had nothing to do with the Hale Fire!" snarled Artemis.

"That was merely a test. I wanted to see how strong you were," said Peter. "And you passed with flying colors, I'm proud to say. And anyway, it's completely true. I am only after the ones who killed my family. That doesn't have to include, what's-her-name."

"Alison," said Derek.

Artemis couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Derek, I know he's your family, but you can't possibly be on his side. He killed Laura and he's been making my life miserable for weeks! He made me think you were dead! How can you be okay with this?"

"I'm not, but we have no choice," said Derek, gruffly.

"There's always a choice," said Artemis. _How can Derek of all people be like this?_

"He says Laura's death was an accident," said Derek. "It happens."

"I don't believe that, not for a second," said Artemis, flatly. She'd seen the Alpha in action. There was no way Laura's death was an accident.

"Artemis, please," said Peter. "I think you and I got off on the wrong foot. "All I want to make the responsible ones pay and help you reach your full potential."

"I'm doing a fine job of that without _your _help, thanks," growled Artemis. She didn't want anything to do with him, least of all have him be her lycanthrope mentor. "And how does killing people help me reach my full potential?"

"Sometimes the people closest to you can be the ones holding you back the most," replied Peter.

"I don't believe that," said Artemis. "And you want to know something else? If they're holding me back from being a psychotic nutcase like you, then I'm fine with that."

Peter just shook his head. "Perhaps you'd understand if I were to show you things from my perspective?" He raised his hand and extended his claws, but Derek grabbed his wrist as he snarled.

"Don't you dare," growled Derek, as his eyes flashed their werewolf blue. "Don't you dare hurt her. If you do, I'll kill you."

"Derek, stop," said Artemis. She didn't want a conflict here and she wanted answers. This was the best way to do it. She turned to Peter. "You can show me, but then I want you to leave."

"I'll leave, for now," said Peter. "Oh, Derek, you might want to hold her. The memories can be a bit overwhelming."

He then plunged one of his claws into the back of Artemis's neck and she inhaled sharply as memories of the last six years hit her like a ton of bricks. She collapsed into Derek's arms and he held her as she saw what had happened—the fire, the coma, and the kills—through Peter's eyes. It wasn't like when she'd seen Derek's memories. It was almost painful.

When it finally ended, she was shaking as Derek rubbed her back.

"You okay, Huntress?" asked Derek.

"I will be," said Artemis, as she swallowed painfully. Peter's memories would give her nightmares for the rest of her life. All that pain, anger and grief she'd felt from him didn't help matters either. "I know he's your uncle, Derek, but I don't trust him."

"I know. I don't expect you to, but trust me. I'm not going let him hurt you, I swear," said Derek, firmly. "We're going to figure this out. I just need a bit of time."

_That's something at least. _Artemis sighed. "Derek, I need to get some sleep. Would you please take me home?"

"Of course."

Derek drove Artemis home and she went to sleep feeling conflicted and unsure as to what to do.

XXX

The following morning, Artemis and Stiles ended up saving Jackson's hide. Chris had sabotaged Jackson's car in order to get a look at the claw marks on the back of his neck. Jackson almost gave away everything until Artemis and Stiles showed up at just the right time. Right after that, Jackson's car worked perfectly and Chris drove off. Artemis ended up yelling at Jackson to watch himself and to give up the idea of becoming a werewolf or else he was going to get himself killed.

Once that was taken care of, Artemis went into the woods to return Alison's pendant to her. She was almost to Alison's location, when suddenly, Artemis found herself being tasered as she fell onto her back. Being hit was a taser was not fun.

"Artemis? Oh, jeez," said Alison, looking appalled. She put the taser down and helped Artemis. "I'm so, so, so sorry. I was doing target practice and I thought you were a predator."

"Technically, I am one," said Artemis, jokingly. "Seriously, it's okay."

"I am sorry. I didn't know it was you, if I'd known, I wouldn't have pulled the trigger, I swear," said Alison. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I heal fast," said Artemis, nodding. _After being hit like that, I'm really glad that I heal fast. _"Anyway, I just came to return this to you." Artemis pulled Alison's necklace out of her jeans pocket.

"Thanks," said Alison. She put it on. "Did it help you find the Alpha?"

"Yes and no," admitted Artemis.

"Meaning what?" asked Alison.

"Meaning, it didn't help Derek and I find him. But we did find the Alpha," said Artemis.

Alison frowned. "Why do you look like you could use someone to talk to?"

"Because I do, badly," said Artemis. She sighed. "I know who the Alpha is and why he killed those people."

"You do? Who is it and why?" asked Alison.

Artemis sighed again. "It's Derek's uncle."

Alison's eyes widened and they ended up going to Artemis's house for hot chocolate and pizza—comfort food, and Artemis told Alison everything she'd seen through Peter's eyes. Alison was sympathetic to Artemis's problems, but didn't know what to do. Artemis just wanted her to keep working on her archery so she could protect herself.

Later that night when Artemis got home, Stiles called her.

"_Dude, I've just earned myself a place in perdition,_" said Stiles.

"What'd you do this time?" asked Artemis.

"_Why do you automatically assume it's my fault?_"

"Because I know you," said Artemis. "What happened?"

"_I did a little snooping and found out something. The Alpha's been making the animal attacks go up like crazy. That's why the cougar showed up in the parking lot the night of the PTA and I also found out something about the murders you're not going to believe._"

Artemis sighed. She knew where this was going. "Let me guess, except for Laura Hale and the janitor, all of them had something to do with the Hale Fire." And she'd been so hoping she was wrong and Peter was mistaken.

"_Yeah. Mr. Harris spilled on how to do arson to Kate and get away with it. The bus driver was an insurance agent investigating the Hale Fire. He was fired for suspicion of fraud. The video store clerk had a history of arson in his rap sheet. And the two guys that got flambéed in the woods had a prior sheet the size of Mt. Everest, which included arson,_" said Stiles. "_Hey, wait, how'd you know they were all connected?_"

Artemis told him what had happened with Peter.

"_Crud. This isn't good. This means that Kate's next on the list. She started all of this._"

"Yeah, I know. I have no freaking clue as to what to do. If I try and get the cure, I'll be killing the only family Derek has left. But if I don't do anything, he's just going to keep killing until he gets what he wants. On one hand, I understand why he wants revenge, but the other hand, I can't justify killing people." She understood Peter's pain and she could understand why he was doing all of this, but she didn't condone it.

"_That's because you're not a wacko like Peter. You'd turn these guys over the police, not murder them,_" said Stiles.

"Would I? I mean, look at what I almost did on the full moon," said Artemis. She liked to think she was a better person than Peter, but for all she knew, she wasn't.

"_That's because it was a full moon. All werewolves act like nutcases on the full moon. Besides, Peter did what he did when it wasn't full moon. You didn't do anything until the full moon made you go all crazy, remember?_"

"True," she agreed. Maybe she'd been wrong. Just then, she heard the doorbell ring. "I've got to go. Someone's here. Keep me updated, okay?"

"_Will do. Bye._"

After hanging up her phone, Artemis went to answer the door, only to find Peter there, dressed for a date. Anger surged through Artemis and she barely managed to control it.

"What in the heck are you doing here? I thought I told you to leave," growled Artemis.

"I said I would leave for now, I didn't say I wouldn't come back," said Peter. "I'm taking your mother out on date tonight. She's a divine woman whose company I enjoy. After being in a coma for six years, dinner with a lady like your mother is a treat I refuse to pass up on."

_He's taking my mother out on a date? _Then Artemis remembered Melissa had said she was going out with someone she'd met at the hospital that morning. Of all the people she had to date, it had to be Peter Hale! Naturally, the child of a single parent rarely thought anyone was good enough for their parent, but Artemis would rather her mother go out with one of the Argents than the Alpha.

"Stay the heck away from my mother. She doesn't know a thing about any of this," said Artemis, angrily. "If you hurt her, kill her or turn her, I'll come after you, I swear to heaven." If he had some kind of plan to convince her to join his pack by turning her mother, she didn't know what she'd do.

"Artemis, you need to understand how much more powerful we are together, you, me and Derek," said Peter, softly.

"I don't care. Derek and I managed fine without you. We don't need you," hissed Artemis.

Just then, Melissa came over to them, looking beyond spectacular and beautiful. "Hey," she said. "How do I look?"

"Perfect as usual," said Artemis, smiling. She wasn't lying about that. "Have fun with your date tonight."

"I will," said Melissa, smiling. "Don't wait up for me."

Artemis nodded and continued faking a smile until they were gone. At which point, she frantically dialed Stiles's number. "Stiles, code red. My mom's going out with the Alpha to dinner tonight."

"_Are you serious?_"

"As a heart attack. Listen, I don't care what you have to do, just help me stop this. As much I hate the idea of breaking my mom's heart, I'm not risking my mom becoming a werewolf," said Artemis. She grabbed her jacket. "Can you help me or should I call Alison?"

"_Call Alison. My dad's watching me and I can't get away. Good luck, dude,_" said Stiles.

Artemis called Alison and then they went off to save Artemis's mother.

Alison was worth her title as she managed to pop the tires of Peter's car by shoot an arrow into two of them when Peter pulled over to double-check the directions for the restaurant. Melissa was furious, but there was no way to trace the arrows as they were unmarked and clean of fingerprints. Artemis had a good view from her hiding place.

While Melissa thought it was just some idiot teenagers pulling a prank, Peter wasn't fooled. He looked impressed. While Melissa was talking the policeman who'd come over to help them, Peter spoke to Artemis. "I know you're there, Artemis and I am very impressed. Nice work. It's no wonder Derek calls you his Huntress of the Moon."

_Derek calls me _his _Huntress of the Moon? Since when? _

"It's a pity most people your age aren't so clever," said Peter. "Like that one on your lacrosse team, Jackson. He thinks he knows all about us, but he couldn't be more wrong. Knowledge isn't power in his case. If I were you, I'd check on him at my old house. Derek's very angry with him. It seems he found out that boy's been blackmailing you."

_Derek found out about Jackson? Oh, crap. _

Knowing her mother would be fine, Artemis told Alison to return home and then she went off to save Jackson's hide.

XXX

Meanwhile, Derek had gone after Jackson by meeting him at the gym where the boy was working out. He'd found out Jackson was blackmailing Artemis by seeing her memories and was beyond furious. He intended to make some things clear to him by any means possible.

"Hey, who's messing with my music?" yelled Jackson, when his music suddenly switched off.

"You've got interesting taste, Jackson," said Derek, startling him.

Jackson looked scared but then grabbed his lacrosse net. "I'm not scared of you," he lied.

Derek just smirked. "Your heartbeat says otherwise. You know, I bet there's never been one day in your life when you haven't been scared of something, Jackson. But you won't have to be anymore. Word is you want to be turned. I can help you with that."

"You can?"

"Oh, yes. All you have to do is come with me and I'll take you to the Alpha," said Derek. He actually had no intention of doing that, but he did have something planned. "You want to be one of us? Follow me."

He left the gym and Jackson followed him to his old burnt down house. "The Alpha's in here." He held open the door. "After you."

Jackson looked excited until Derek followed him inside and shut the door. Then he turned white as snow.

"He's not here, is he? And he's not coming?"

"Finally, you show me you're the total idiot everyone thinks you are," said Derek, mockingly. "No, he's not here. I was never going to take you to him in the first place."

"Then why am I here?" asked Jackson, starting to look scared.

Derek extended his claws and glared. "Think, Jackson. Why would I bring you here unless you'd done something you shouldn't have?"

"I-I-I—" stammered Jackson, as he backed up into the staircase.

"I know what you did. You threatened Artemis," growled Derek. "And before you ask, no, she didn't tell me. I found out another way and that's really bad news for you because I don't tolerate members of my pack being threatened, especially by people like you." He wolfed out and held up Jackson by the throat. "Listen well, because I'm only going to say this once: if you don't leave Artemis alone and keep your fat mouth shut about what you know, there'll be consequences or I'll make dea Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," gasped Jackson. "I'll shut up and I'll leave Artemis alone, I promise!"

"Derek, that's enough!" said Artemis, as she appeared at the top of the stairs. "Let him go, _now_."

Derek shrugged as he dropped Jackson to the ground. "We were done anyway." He glared at Jackson. "I'd get lost if I were you."

Jackson didn't need telling twice. He bolted out the back door just as Artemis jumped down from the stairs, in the same way she'd seen Derek do it several times before. "Was that really necessary?" she demanded.

"Hey, someone had to do something to keep his mouth shut after diplomacy failed. The only reason I didn't kill the little punk was because I knew you wouldn't want me to," said Derek. "And why in the heck didn't you tell me he was blackmailing you?"

"Because I knew you'd react like this, that's why!" said Artemis. She knew Derek would go ballistic and she'd wanted to avoid that.

"And how should I have reacted? Do you think I liked finding out that creep was blackmailing you?" demanded Derek. "If he'd said one word to the Argents, you could've gotten exposed and killed! If anything happened to you, I'd never have been able to live with myself."

Artemis sighed as her face softened. Derek had only been trying to protect her. "I understand, but we can't do this. I don't want to stoop to Peter's level. Killing people solves nothing. Now, would you mind telling me how you found out about Jackson? Who told you, Stiles or Alison?"

"I—" he cut himself off as a whistling sound hit their ears. "GET DOWN!"

Gunshots went off. The hunters had followed Derek, thinking he'd lead them to the Alpha. Without thinking, Artemis leapt in front of Derek, taking a few bullets for him. She then found herself on the ground, barely able to breathe as unbearable pain coursed through her system, thanks to wolfsbane laced bullets. She found herself coughing up blood and feeling like death itself. She couldn't move as the pain and bullets had incapacitated her. Derek looked horrified and devastated.

"HUNTRESS!" yelled Derek.

"Derek, save yourself and get out of here!" she said, as more pain shot through her.

But instead of getting himself out of there, Derek managed to get up and got Artemis out of the house by placing her somewhere safe in the woods before running back to distract the hunters.

Artemis would've gone after him, but she found herself passing out from the pain.

_Derek please, don't die…_was her last thought before she succumbed to the darkness.

XXX

When Artemis woke up, she launched into a coughing fit as she found herself in Dr. Deaton's office and her wounds were being treated. He didn't look the least bit surprised to see her injuries and he was quite calm as he treated her.

"Dr. Deaton?" she whispered. She tried to sit up, but the pain forced her back down.

"Easy, Artemis," said Dr. Deaton, soothingly. "You're going to be fine, but you need to rest. You took a big hit this time. I've given you something to help with the pain and heal faster."

Did she really just hear him say that? _Excuse me? _"You…?"

He nodded. "I've worked with the supernatural before, Artemis. You're not the first werewolf I've come across. I heard the gunshots and found you in the woods and brought you here to help you."

_Does everyone in this town have some kind of secret or connection to the paranormal? Sheesh. _"Where's Derek?"

"I didn't find him, but I think he'll be fine. You can sense him, can't you?"

She nodded. She could feel him. He was alive, but whether or not he was injured or his exact location, she knew not.

Dr. Deaton soothingly stroked her hair. "Sleep. You're safe here. You can look for Derek when you've healed up."

"Okay," she murmured, sleepily.

Within a few moments, she was asleep again.

XXX

Despite the late hour, Alison wasn't back at her house or in bed.

Rather, she'd been dragged out blindfolded by her aunt Kate as Kate decided to let Alison in on the family secret. While Kate looked like the cat who'd swallowed the canary, Alison was horrified and sickened to see that chained to the wall with wires taped to his stomach, was Derek Hale, and he was Kate's prisoner.


	11. Formality

Formality

Alison drove as fast as she could without breaking the speed limit as rain fell in a downpour.

She felt like she was going to throw up. She'd watched Kate taking pleasure in torturing Derek until she couldn't take it anymore and had begged to be taken away. Kate had complied, but had insisted on blindfolding Alison again and spraying some crap on Alison so the scent wouldn't be traced by the second Beta wolf.

Before she'd left, Alison had whispered, "_Derek, I'll tell Artemis and find someway to get you out of this, I promise._" She could only hope that Derek had believed her. She'd never been more disgusted with her heritage than now. How could Kate think werewolves were just dumb animals or take such pleasure in harming them as she did? Was the rest of her family like that or did they follow the supposed code Artemis had mentioned? No wonder Derek hated her family.

When she got home, the first thing she did was look through Kate's room. There were files and photographs on not only Derek, but also Artemis. Kate either suspected Artemis was the second Beta or worse, she already knew. Right after that, Alison dialed Artemis's phone and got voicemail.

"Artemis, please pick up. We've got an emergency on our hands. Kate told me the family secret and she's got Derek prisoner. She's torturing him. I don't know where exactly because she blindfolded me and sprayed this crap on me so the scent couldn't be traced. Also, she's got files on you. She's onto you. Call me when you get this and please for the love of all that's holy, be careful."

Alison went to bed, shaking and praying that somehow her friends would be all right. If anything happened, if she had to choose between her family and her lycanthrope best friend, she didn't know what she'd choose.

XXX

The following morning, when Artemis woke up, she was in a change of clothes and she was feeling good as new.

"Welcome back to the land of the conscious. How're you feeling?" asked Dr. Deaton.

"I'm fine, thanks to you," said Artemis, smiling as she got off the table. "I owe you one, boss. Maybe I should pull a double shift as thanks."

"You can thank me by not getting yourself killed and by coming to me the next time you're hurt," said Dr. Deaton, smiling. "I'm glad you're okay. I'd hate to lose my best employee or my friend."

"Me too," said Artemis. She found her phone and checked her messages. Her heart sank when she listened to Alison's message. "Oh, crap."

"What is it?" asked Dr. Deaton, looking concerned.

"Derek's being held prisoner and tortured. I've got to find him before she kills him," said Artemis. She was about to leave when she heard the front door opening. She immediately recognized the scent and the heartbeat. "Double crap. We've got to go."

"Why? Who's here?"

"The Alpha, Derek's uncle," announced Artemis, gravely. _He's come for me. I should've known this was going to happen. _

Dr. Deaton didn't look the least bit worried. He just beckoned for Artemis to be quiet and then went up to the front desk. Artemis could hear every word, thanks to her enhanced hearing.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed," said Dr. Deaton.

"Yes, I'm aware, but I need to pick up a pet of mine," said Peter, smoothly.

"I'm not sure I remember you dropping off," said Dr. Deaton.

Peter just chuckled as Artemis made sure her phone was off and she hid down low. "My pet wandered in on her own."

"Even if she did, I'm afraid I can't help you. As I said, we're closed," said Dr. Deaton, coolly.

"Really? Well, I think you can make an exception this one time, can't you?" asked Peter. His tone was challenging Dr. Deaton to do otherwise upon pain of death. Artemis could tell. Her heart beat like crazy with worry for her boss.

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to be possible," said Dr. Deaton. "Maybe you could come back during regular hours."

"Please, Dr. Deaton, don't lie to me. I know you're hiding that girl of mine," said Peter, smugly. "I'm here to get her back. I need her."

"Really? Because she doesn't seem to need you," said Dr. Deaton. His tone then became cold as he said, "And as I said, we're closed."

Artemis heard the sound of a static sizzle and could feel the Alpha's irritation growing by the second. Something was keeping him back, something that smelled strange.

"Mountain ash," growled Peter. "That's an old one."

Artemis flinched when she heard the sound of a chair breaking. For a moment, she feared for her boss, but then she heard him speak calmly and smoothly. "Let me be perfectly clear: we're closed."

She heard Peter start to leave, but then he whispered to her, "There are others to help me get what I want, Artemis. Others who're more innocent and far more valuable."

_Oh, crap. Alison and Stiles! _

As soon as she got the chance, Artemis left the vet's. She had work to do.

XXX

Artemis rummaged through Derek's few belongings in the basement, trying to get a strong enough scent from his clothes, but the musty scent of the basement was making it difficult. Plus, after what she'd heard from Alison's message, she didn't know if she'd be able to trace the scent.

"Artemis, you're going to give yourself a panic attack if you don't calm down," said Stiles, who was helping her. "Heck, you're going to give _me _one."

"How in the heck am I supposed to calm down when Derek's being held prisoner by a psycho hunter and being tortured?" demanded Artemis. She let out a sigh of frustration. "Did you call Derek's phone or try to trace it?"

"Yes, and I can't trace it because I'm no Danny. He says he can't help me do another trace," said Stiles. "He's busy."

"Dang it," said Artemis. She looked harder, but she was running out of options. If she didn't find him, sooner or later, Derek was going to get killed.

"Why are you panicking? Can't you just see his memories or sense him or something?" asked Stiles.

"No, I can't. Sensing him doesn't work like a GPS system. I can feel if he's near or if he's alive, but not his exact location. He's alive and he's in pain, that's all I know. As for the memories, they don't always happen when I want it to or show me what I need to see," said Artemis. "And besides the fact that I love him, I need his help if I'm going to deal with Peter."

"Can't you just let the Argents do it? I mean, it's not like they're going to kill their way of finding the Alpha," said Stiles.

"I'm not letting them do that. And another thing, Peter's going to try and use Alison to get to Kate or he'll use Alison to find Derek. I've got to find Derek first," said Artemis. It was just too big of a risk to let either scenario happen.

"Wasn't Derek going to kill Jackson? Not that I like Jackson or anything, but don't you think that's a problem?"

"For the last time, he wasn't going to kill Jackson. He just scared him off. He wasn't going to kill him because he knew I wouldn't want him to," said Alison, exasperated. "And how can I just ignore this? I love Derek and he gave himself up to save my life."

"Yeah, after you took wolfsbane bullets for him. Are you not seeing a star-crossed lovers pattern here, Arty?"

Artemis didn't reply and sighed as she sat down in a chair.

"What is it?" asked Stiles.

"My mom's home, and she just called Peter's phone and left a message. She's upset over last night and wants to meet up with him again but he's not answering," said Artemis, sighing. "Now, she's crying, because she thinks he's dumped her. And it's all my fault." Her mother's tears hurt her like a wolfsbane bullet. Artemis wanted her mother to be happy, not heartbroken.

"Cut yourself some slack, Artemis. You were trying to protect her. Peter might've turned her if you hadn't intervened," said Stiles.

"Then why do I feel like a louse?" asked Artemis. She knew she'd done the right thing, but the pain of knowing her mother's tears were because of her hurt her deeply.

"Because unlike most people our age, you love your mom and you want her to be happy," replied Stiles. "If it hadn't been Peter she was going out with, you would've left things alone. It's not like you could've told her the truth about Peter, anyway. Look, just give it some time and she'll forget all about him. There are other fish in the sea, you know? Give it time."

"I hope you're right. It just seems like I have to protect everyone, yet I can't seem to do it," said Artemis softly. There was so much weight on her shoulders and yet so little had been done to lift it.

"Newsflash: you're a lycanthrope, not Superwoman. Just do what you can, Artemis. That's all you can do," said Stiles.

Artemis just nodded, knowing he was right and then went back to work.

XXX

Meanwhile, Derek was being interrogated by Kate.

He'd been her prisoner after giving himself up to protect Artemis. He didn't regret it, but he was getting real sick of Kate and being fried like a chicken. Kate was enjoying her work to learn the Alpha's identity _way _too much. She claimed everyone was a joke to her to keep her sane, yet it seemed she'd been driven insane and was sicker than the Joker.

"Oh, come on, Derek. He killed your sister," said Kate, as she rummaged through his belongings. "Now, either you're not telling me because you want to kill him yourself or for some insane reason, you're protecting him." She chuckled when she found Derek's driver license. "Look at that sour face. I bet you used to have people come up to you and say, 'smile, Derek. Why don't you smile more?' Don't you just want to kick those people in face?"

Derek just glared at her. He would've liked to kick her in the face and he would've done if he had the strength. Since he hadn't eaten in twenty-four hours and was being tortured, his strength wasn't quite what it was. "I can think of one," he growled.

Kate looked satisfied at getting a response from him at last. "Promise? Because if I thought you'd be that much fun, I'll let you go."

Derek didn't reply and Kate resumed looking through his stuff.

"Are you going to torture me or just talk me to death?" he demanded.

"Oh, sweetie, I don't want to torture you," said Kate, sweetly. "I just want to catch up. Remember all the good times we had back when we were younger?"

"Back when I was stupid enough to trust you," snarled Derek. He'd learned that lesson the hard way. Hunters could never be trusted. "What I remember most is when you burned my family alive!"

Kate let out an evil laugh. "Actually, I was thinking of all those dates we had. Good times." She smirked. "But the fire thing, that was fun, too."

Derek lunged for her as fresh anger surged through him. He snapped his fangs at her as she laughed at him again.

"I love how much you hate me," said Kate. "Now, while I don't want to torture you, I have someone else who does. Maybe you'll talk to me after he's spoken with you."

She then left Derek alone with a big muscle-y henchman who seemed to like his work as much as Kate did, if not more.

XXX

The following day, Artemis found herself being dragged to the mall by Lydia and Alison, who'd decided to get her to stop working for a little while. Lydia had decided she'd forgiven Artemis for the incident at the school and was grudgingly going to the dance with Stiles.

"Girls, this is nice and all, but I'm really not in the mood for shopping," said Artemis. Granted she was going to the formal stag in order to protect Alison from Peter, (Alison couldn't hide a compound bow and arrows on her person in a dress) but she wasn't up for shopping. She'd wanted to go the formal with Derek after he'd agreed to accompany her, but that had been before Peter's identity had been revealed and the mess started. Plus, she _hated _shopping.

"Mood or no, you're doing it," said Lydia, firmly. "If you're going to the formal, you need to look beautiful."

"I don't need a new dress. I've already got a dress I can wear," said Artemis. It was a simple black thing and old, but she liked it just fine.

"If it's that black thing you've worn to the last two dances, I will toss you off the escalator right now, I swear," warned Lydia, as they rode up to the second floor. "You're getting a new dress and that's final. And would it kill you to smile?"

"They do say that someone could fall in love with your smile," admitted Alison. "Come on, Artemis. You need to take a break. This'll take two hours, tops."

Artemis sighed. She didn't see how shopping was supposed to help her relax, but if she only spent two hours here, fine. She could handle two hours. "Just two hours and I'll pick out a new dress, and that's it. Deal?"

"Deal," said Alison.

Half an hour later, Lydia was in the dressing room trying on the dozen short white dresses she'd picked off the clothes rack. Alison had already picked out her dress and had paid for it and was now helping Alison pick hers.

"Hey, Artemis, are you doing okay? Did you find Derek?" asked Alison, quietly.

Artemis shook her head. "No, and he's hurting, Alison, I can feel it. If I don't find him, I'm going to go insane." It was driving her nuts. Where could Derek be? If she didn't find him before he became useless to Kate, he would be dead and so would she.

"You'll find him, I know it. If anyone can, it's you," said Alison, comfortingly.

"Thanks," said Artemis. She sighed again. "You know, I'd probably be enjoying this more if I wasn't worried about him or Peter. If I could just have one romantic night with him, I'd feel so much better about this."

"Does he know how you feel?" asked Alison.

"Of course not. After what happened with Kate, he might not be ready for another relationship, plus why on earth would he even look twice at me?" asked Artemis. She took a beautiful flowing dress off the rack that was in her size. "What do you think of this one?"

"I think it's perfect for you," said Peter, startling her.

Artemis spun around to see Derek standing behind her and Alison, looking at them in a way she didn't like.

"Oh, hello," she said, through clenched teeth. "How…nice to see you again."

"You know this guy?" asked Alison, looking confused.

"Yes, this is Peter Hale, an old acquaintance. He's a sweet gentleman when he's not being the Alpha male type," said Artemis.

She heard Alison's heart beat speed up at her little hint.

Peter chuckled. "Artemis tends to exaggerate a bit. I apologize if I was interrupting anything, but I was buying myself a new coat and saw you lovely ladies and thought I might chat a bit. Perhaps I can help you with your shopping. I can provide good advice."

"Thank you, but no. I already bought my dress and Artemis was just about to buy hers," said Alison, politely.

"Yeah, so if you'll excuse us. Our friend Lydia's already waiting at the check-out for us," said Artemis, briskly. Her eyes flashed a warning to Peter. _Leave us alone. _

"Actually, Artemis, could I speak with you alone for a moment? Alison could take care of your dress for you," said Peter. His tone didn't invite argument.

"No, I wouldn't mind." Artemis handed the dress to Alison along with a twenty dollar bill from her wallet. "Alison, wait for me by the escalators, would you?"

Alison nodded and then left Artemis alone with Peter.

"I must say, Artemis, I continued to be impressed by your ingenuity," said Peter. "I take it she knows and hence your little hint?"

"None of your business," growled Artemis. "So, now you're following me? What's it going to take for you to leave me and the people I care about alone?"

"What kind of Alpha would I be if I didn't keep an eye on my pack?" said Peter, sweetly.

"I am _not _part of _your _pack!"

"Yes, you are. And just remember, Artemis, Derek needs you and you can't be everywhere all the time. Sooner or later, I'll win this little battle of ours. Just wait and see," said Peter, before he disappeared.

XXX

Kate was growing bored.

Derek still wasn't talking and she was running out of time to keep this up. Chris was growing fed up with constantly leaving her messages and not knowing where she was and what she was doing. She was getting nowhere.

"Unfortunately, Derek, if you're not going to talk to me, I'm just going to have to kill you," said Kate, after checking her voicemail. "So, say hi to your sister for me. You did tell her about me, didn't you? The truth about the fire?"

Derek glared at her and didn't reply, causing Kate to laugh.

"You didn't tell her. You didn't tell anyone. Oh, sweetie, that's a lot of guilt to keep buried. It's not all your fault. You got played by a pretty face. It happens. Handsome young werewolf falls in love with a super-hot girl whose family kills werewolves. Isn't that ironic? You know what, come to think of it, I got tricked too, because for some reason, you never kissed me and every bit of affection didn't seem real," said Kate, mockingly.

Derek again didn't reply as his eyes grew red from the tears he refused to shed. He'd trusted Kate, cared about her, and she'd betrayed him and left him with a broken heart. Yet she was right, for his affections for her back then were nothing now compared to what he felt for the one who had his heart.

"And isn't it also ironic that you're inadvertently helping me track down the rest of your filthy pack again? It's history repeating, isn't it?"

She was about to flick the switch on her torture device when she suddenly stopped when a gold chain from Derek's jacket pocket caught her eye. "Hello, what's this?"

In Derek's jacket pocket was an old gold pocket watch Artemis had given Derek as a parting gift before he'd moved away. The watch had a wolf and the moon on the front.

"Put that back," he snarled.

"Not until I look into it," said Kate, smirking evilly. "Well, isn't this sweet? '_Friends forever. Love, Huntress of the Moon._'" Kate's face lit up in realization. "Huntress of the Moon. Artemis said she had a friend who called her that. I was right, wasn't I? Jackson's not the second Beta. It's Artemis, isn't it? And you're in love with her, aren't you?"

Derek just snarled and snapped at her with his teeth again.

"Ha, ha, I knew it. I knew a girl like that had to have some secret boyfriend," said Kate, satisfied.

Derek let out a vicious growl. "IF YOU DARE HURT HER, I'LL—"

"You'll what?" interrupted Kate. "In case you've forgotten, sweetie, you're locked up and you're in no shape to take down a deer, much less a family of hunters. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a hunt to finish up."

Derek hung his head as Kate left him alone. Kate knew. Artemis was dead, thanks to him. Silently he prayed that Alison had kept her word or at least that Artemis was safe. Whether she returned his feelings or not, if she was killed, he'd die with her.

XXX

At the Winter Formal the following night, Artemis wasn't wearing the dress she'd bought at the mall. She was hiding out in the corner, watching everyone else while protecting Alison and trying to enjoy herself and failing miserably at the latter.

The lights, music, decorations and refreshments were fantastic, but she wasn't enjoying herself. Alison was safe for now, but one never knew. Alison looked stunningly spectacular in her white dress with her hair pinned back and curled, and Stiles was even having a dance with Lydia who looked perfect as usual, which made her feel a little better and smile a bit.

"Artemis, stop hiding and come over here," said Alison.

Sighing, Artemis got out of her hiding place and joined Alison by the punch bowl.

"Everything okay?" asked Artemis.

"I don't know," admitted Alison. "Jackson just left. He spiked his drink. Lydia and Stiles went after him. Should we follow them?"

"Yeah, we probably should," said Artemis. Jackson couldn't be left alone in his state. If he blabbed to anyone, there'd be trouble. "You sure you don't mind leaving early?"

Alison shook her head. "No, I don't mind. I was starting to get bored anyway. Come on. Let's go find them."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're an amazing friend?" asked Artemis, smiling. _What did I do to earn a friend like her? _

Alison just laughed as they headed out.

But trouble fell that night.

In thinking that the red lights of the Argents' guns were the Alpha's eyes, Jackson had blabbed out Artemis's secret to them and now they were going to see if Jackson was right in his information by any means necessary. However, he felt guilty enough to tell Stiles what he'd done when he found Artemis's friend and then two of them went looking for Lydia.

When Lydia went looking for Jackson out on the lacrosse field, Peter happened to be in the mood to select his second pack member.

"LYDIA, RUN!" yelled Stiles, as he ran towards her.

But it was too late. Peter bit Lydia and ended up severely wounding her.

"Peter, stop! Don't kill her," begged Stiles. He and Peter were kneeling down Lydia's unconscious form on the field.

"Now why would I kill such a pretty maiden?" said Peter. "She's of more use to me alive. Now, that'll change unless you help me find Derek. Sadly, Artemis's efforts to find him have been fruitless. I need you to help me find my nephew."

"How in the heck can I find Derek if Artemis can't?" demanded Stiles, panicking.

"Did you never think to track the GPS of his phone? I can't do that and neither can Artemis, but you can. You didn't think of it before because you only thought of tracing his phone calls," said Peter, simply. "Now, help me or I'll change my mind about Lydia's usefulness to me." If Lydia didn't die, she'd become a lycanthrope, just like Artemis.

Stiles had no choice but to help.

XXX

Artemis and Alison were looking for their three missing classmates and growing more worried by the second when they didn't find them. They didn't find them inside the school and were now searching the school grounds.

"Where the heck are they?" muttered Alison. "How can it be this hard to find three teenagers?"

"Easily enough, apparently," said Artemis. She froze when the cold wind blew by and she caught the smell of something she didn't like. "Oh, crap, I smell blood."

"What? Whose?" asked Alison.

"Lydia's," announced Artemis, gravely. "Peter's gotten to her. I can smell him."

"Then we'd better find her, fast!" said Alison.

Suddenly, bright lights came into view from both sides in the parking lot. Artemis reacted without thinking as she pushed Alison away just as two cars trapped her. Artemis wolfed out as she leapt into the air and landed onto two car hoods. She then met the shocked face of Chris Argent.


	12. Code Breaker

Code Breaker

Artemis ran for her life. She hadn't stopped running since she'd been exposed.

Thanks to Jackson, the Argents knew she was a werewolf. They'd proved it by nearly crushing her with two cars. Chris had seen her wolf out when she'd avoided the cars by jumping up just in time and landing on the two car hoods. Alison had yelled at her to run, and she'd followed her friend's orders. Artemis had jumped up onto the roof of the one of the cars and taken off into the night.

Eventually she tripped and fell on a tree root. She took a moment to catch her breath and calm herself down. She was exposed and there was a good chance that the Argents were close to figuring out the Alpha's identity as well. She was dead unless she did something about it.

_I've got to find Derek. _She needed to save him from Kate and she needed his help if she was to ever escape from Peter. But where she'd look, she had no idea.

Slowly, she stood up and then ran back to her house to change out of her dress. After gathering what she needed, she took off, not knowing if she would ever come back.

XXX

Chris Argent was in a foul mood.

Sweet innocent Artemis Moon was a werewolf. Artemis Moon, the girl who'd become his own daughter's best friend, worked so much to help her mother, was so kind and helpful, and who risked her own life to protect the students in the school from the Alpha, was a werewolf. Worse, she was a Beta wolf and in league with Derek Hale. Was she also involved in the Alpha's crimes? She didn't seem to be the type, but did he know as much about her as he'd thought?

In his anger, he ended up breaking a vase. Fortunately, it was one he'd been meaning toss out for weeks, so no harm done.

"Feel better?" said Kate, sarcastically.

"Don't push me, Kate!" he barked. Kate was another reason why he was angry. "Don't think I don't know what you've been doing to Alison! You've been leaving her clues for weeks, starting with that necklace! She knows because you wanted her to!" Chris had wanted to give Alison a few more years of a normal life before letting her know the truth of the family secret and now that plan had burnt up like straw.

"She knows because she needs to know!" snapped Kate.

"Why did you come here?" demanded Chris. "You hate this town. I had an entire network of names I could've called a lot closer than you, but you called!" He'd never understood why Kate had come. He hadn't asked her to. She'd come of her own accord. "And why did you come? Who exactly are you helping?"

"Oh, come on, Chris!" protested Kate, angrily. "I'm here to catch the Alpha! Remember, the werewolf that's been killing people at random?"

"It's not random. Tyhurst said that Sheriff Stillinski can connect almost every murder back to the Hale Fire," said Chris, as he cleaned up the vase.

Kate actually looked a little frightened, but she covered it up quickly. "Well, that's all the more reason for her to know, because they've always blamed us for that fire. It has to be Derek or some other relative trying to protect the Alpha and you know they're going to pick us as their last targets."

"Which is why you're going to take Alison to Washington and stay there until I call," said Chris.

"I'm not going anywhere!" said Alison, loudly, as she entered the room. She looked angry and quite determined. "I'm not leaving with Aunt Kate and especially not while Artemis's life is danger."

"Alison—" began Chris.

"Dad, just listen to me," interrupted Alison. "Aunt Kate dropped hints, but I found out the truth a long time ago. Artemis told me she was a werewolf and she told me a lot more than just that. If you want to catch the Alpha, then you're going to have to listen to what I have to say, alone. I'll tell you, but no one else."

Kate looked as if she was about to protest, but one look from Chris silenced her. Looking quite annoyed, Kate stormed out of the house, leaving Chris and Alison alone.

"You wanted to talk, so talk to me," said Chris.

"Only if you promise me you'll listen and stick to the code and you won't go after Artemis or Derek. They've done nothing wrong," said Alison. She knew her father to be a man who stuck to his word, and she wanted his promise now before she told him what she knew about the werewolves.

"I give you my word," said Chris. He sat down on the couch. "Sit and talk to me."

Alison sat down beside her father, took a deep breath and then told him everything.

XXX

Meanwhile, as Jackson was taking Lydia to the hospital, Stiles was being dragged around by Peter to a parking garage. Peter had threatened to be 'persuasive,' if Stiles didn't obey him. Once they were out of Stiles' jeep, Peter took out a seat of keys and began opening the trunk of an expensive-looking grey car.

"Whose car is this?" asked Stiles.

"It belonged to my nurse," said Peter. When he opened the trunk, Stiles found out why Peter had used past tense in reference to the nurse. Peter ignored the horrified look on Stiles' face as he took out a bag containing a laptop and slammed the trunk shut. He then got to work.

"So, you're also a Mac guy. Does that go for all werewolves or is it just a personal preference?" asked Stiles, sarcastically.

"Just turn it on and get connected, Stilinski," said Peter, impatiently.

Stiles sighed and shook his head. "You're really killing the whole werewolf mystique here." After a few minutes, he came up to a page asking for Derek's username and password. "I don't know Derek's username and password for certain, but I can take a shot at it." He had a pretty good idea about what they might be.

Both Derek's username and password were exactly the same thing: Huntress of the Moon, which didn't really surprise either of them.

"Guess I don't need to ask what's going to happen when you find Derek. You're going to kill people, aren't you?" said Stiles, as he furiously typed.

"Only the responsible ones," said Peter, sternly.

"Then leave Artemis the heck alone! Quit getting her involved in this crap. She wants nothing to do with it or you," snapped Stiles.

Peter sighed dramatically. "Do you know why wolves hunt in packs? It's because their favored prey are too large to be brought down by one wolf alone. I need Derek and Artemis. I need both of them to finish what I started."

"She's not going to help you and neither will Derek if she has anything to say about it," said Stiles, coldly.

"She doesn't have a say in this," said Peter. "Whether she likes it or not, she'll do what I ask to protect her loved ones. And you'll do as I say, because it'll help protect Artemis."

Stiles had to admit Peter was right. Artemis would follow through Peter's insane plans if she thought it'd protect the people she cared about. It was the same reason he was obeying Peter's wishes. "So, just out of curiosity, why _did_ you turn Artemis?"

"There was no reason not to turn her. She has so much potential and besides, I thought my nephew was lonely," said Peter.

Stiles made a face. "You're telling me you turned Artemis into a werewolf to give Derek a she-wolf to date? Dude, seriously…"

"My nephew does care for her. Why else would he be so protective her? And Artemis's devotion and loyalty to him only proves that she returns his affections," said Peter, as though Stiles hadn't spoken. "Not to mention, their little link only further proves my suspicions about them."

"What suspicions?" demanded Stiles.

"None of your concern. Now, we must find my nephew," said Peter.

A few moments later, the location of Derek's phone appeared on the screen and the information surprised Stiles.

"Seriously? That's where that witch is keeping him?" said Stiles. "At the old burnt down Hale house? Seriously."

Peter frowned and then shook his head. "He's not _at _it, you idiot. He's _under _it. I know _exactly _where that is. And if my suspicions are right, I'm not the only one. Artemis should know by now."

"How?"

Peter didn't answer him. "You're free to go, Mr. Stinlinski. I have an appointment to keep and I'd hate to be late. But before I go, I want you to know that I'm not the bad guy here. I never would've done any of this if Kate hadn't decided to do what she did. And because I like you, I'm going to make you an offer. It didn't have to be Artemis I chose as my first pack wolf. It could've easily been you. So, how would you like to have what she does—power beyond your wildest dreams? All it takes is one little bite."

Stiles froze. He'd never thought of it before. It could've been him that'd been bitten that night instead of Artemis. Now he had a chance to have what she did. He wouldn't have to live in her shadow while she achieved things he'd never be able to. The offer was tempting, but he shook his head. "No. I don't want it. I don't want to be like you."

Peter just smirked. "Even if I couldn't hear your heartbeat, I'd still know you were lying to me, Stilinski." He got into his car and drove off, leaving Stiles alone.

XXX

At the hospital, Lydia was recovering.

She was hurt pretty bad, but she was recovering. It was counted up as another animal attack. From his father, Stiles learned that they were after Kate, only they didn't know her name, only that they were looking for the woman wearing the incriminating pendant Mr. Harris had spoken of. Stiles felt relieved, but when he saw Jackson, his temper flared.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing up here, you creep," said Stiles, angrily.

"Don't act like this wasn't my fault!" growled Jackson.

"If you hadn't dumped her and just stayed at the dance, none of this would've happened!" yelled Stiles. "She was only out there because she was looking for you, you dipstick! You don't even deserve her and yet for some reason, she's head over heels about you!"

Before Jackson could respond, Stiles' phone went off, signaling a missed called. He found a message from Artemis and looked pale after listening to it.

"That was Artemis. She's going after Derek and the Alpha. She knows where he is now," said Stiles. "I've got to go." He'd deal with Jackson later.

"Wait, I'm coming with you," said Jackson, grabbing Stiles' arm.

Stiles just yanked himself free and started walking to the exit. "No, you're not. Just because you feel guilty all of a sudden, doesn't make what you did okay. After what you did, I've got half a mind to tell the Alpha to come after you and I think he wouldn't hesitate to do it."

"Oh, come on!" protested Jackson. "Seriously, you'd do that?"

"Dude, I'm so ticked at you right now, I'd throw you to the wolves. The only reason Derek didn't kill you was because Artemis didn't want him to. I'm starting to think that was a bad idea," said Stiles, angrily. He didn't actually mean it, but when one's angry, one often speaks without thinking. "She saved your butt and you repaid her by turning her over to the freaking hunters and now she's a dead woman!"

"Look, I'm sorry. It was an accident, all right?" said Jackson.

"Boys," said Chris, startling them and making them stop in their tracks.

Stiles swallowed painfully as he saw that Chris had three other men with him along with Alison. They were all armed with either guns or crossbows. _Oh, crap._

"I hate to interrupt your little talk, but where's Artemis Moon?" asked Chris. "I need to find her. Where is she?"

"Neither of us has seen her since the dance," said Stiles, as Jackson nodded. Neither of them were exactly trusting of Alison's relatives.

"It's okay, Stiles. He's not going to kill her. We're trying to help," said Alison. "Just tell us where Artemis is and what she's doing."

"I'll ask again. Where's Artemis Moon?" asked Chris, sternly.

"I told you, we haven't seen her since the dance," said Stiles, impatiently.

"Did she contact you?" asked Alison.

"She called Stiles earlier. Something about trying to find Derek and stopping the Alpha," said Jackson, as Stiles glared at him. "We're going after her."

"Not without backup you're not," said Chris, firmly. "Come on."

"And if we do come, what're you going to do to Kate? She started all of this when she broke your hunters code," said Stiles. He was not going if they weren't going to deal with Kate as well as Peter. All of this had happened because of her.

"She'll be punished. That's all you need to know," said Chris. "Now, you can either come with us or stay here. It's your choice."

Needless to say, Stiles and Jackson went with the Argents.

XXX

Meanwhile, Artemis was desperately searching for Derek. She climbed onto the top of a large rock and gazed upon the magnificent view of Beacon Hills, trying to imagine where he might be. She needed to find him and fast, before it was too late.

_Derek, where are you? _

She tried to settle her nerves. She had to keep calm and stay focused. She was no good to Derek otherwise. She closed her eyes as she shifted and was about to howl, when suddenly, several memories hit her. She saw Derek and Kate somewhere underground where he was being cruelly interrogated by Kate and her goon before she saw a tunnel entrance under Derek's property.

When she jerked her head, the flashes stopped, but the memories remained in her mind. Relieved that she now knew where to look, Artemis took off in search of Derek. She found the tunnel, and followed it until she came to a room and peered through the crack in the door.

She saw Derek chained to the wall with a set of wires taped to his stomach. He looked like heck, from the paleness of his skin, the dark circles under his eyes, how weak he was. He was out cold until he was cruelly awoken by a punch to the face by a baldheaded man, who seemed to be just like Kate—cold and ruthless.

The man shined a light onto Derek after waking him up, but Derek just glared at him.

"Ready to have some more fun?" he asked. "To be honest, my knuckles are kind of hurting. So, I've brought some help. But I need to warn you, I used to play in college." He picked up a large baseball bat, and was about to strike, when suddenly, Artemis fired a tranquilizer dart at him, which made him collapse.

Artemis then thrust open the door and entered the room. She ran over to Derek, cupping his face in her hands. "Hey, big guy. Miss me?"

"Huntress," he said, sounding both relieved and exhausted. "You're alive. Artemis…"

"Shh," she interrupted. "I'm right here. Don't talk for a moment. Just save your strength. I'm going to get you out of here." She was smiling, but inside she was on the verge of a panic attack. _Gads, Derek. What on earth have they done to you? _"Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

She unlocked his shackles and got him down. Being weary from lack of food, proper sleep and torture, Derek just collapsed into her arms. She lowered him to the ground and then leaned him against her as she helped him to drink the bottle of water and eat the hamburger she'd brought, which seemed to help him regain his strength. After a few moments, he appeared to be all right, but he'd still need a bit of rest to fully recover.

"How did you find me?" he asked, when he started to put his shirt and jacket back on and grabbed his things, including the watch.

"I have no idea how, but I saw flashes of this place," she admitted. "I saw Kate and her goon hurting you and then I saw the tunnel entrance. It's not the first time something like that's happened. Sometimes I see flashes of things only you know of. It's been occurring since I was bitten. Any ideas as to why or how?"

Derek's eyes widened. "It's been happening to you to? Have you been sensing me and feeling my emotions?"

"Yeah. How's that possible?" asked Artemis. She was surprised to learn that Derek had been experiencing the same things she had. Why had all of this been happening to them?

"I'll tell you later," he said.

Artemis decided not to press further. "Right, well, we've got to get out of here now. I have bad news. Peter attacked Lydia, the Argents know about me since Jackson let it slip tonight, Peter's going after Alison and her family, and I found out that not only was Kate the only one of the Argents involved with the fire, but Peter lied about Laura's death," she said.

Derek frowned. "What're you talking about? What do you mean, he lied?" he demanded, his tone dangerously calm.

Artemis pulled out of a picture of a deer with a spiral on its fur from her pocket. "This is what brought Laura back to Beacon Hills, right? My boss told me three months ago, someone came to the clinic asking for a copy of this picture. Peter's nurse was the one who asked about it. They brought your sister here so that Peter could kill her and become the Alpha." She paused for a moment to let the information sink in. "I want to run away with you right now, but if we don't stop Peter, we'll never be free. Please, Derek, help me. I can't do this without you."

Derek looked furious before snatching the photo out of her hands and crumpling it in his fist. "I'll help you. Just help me out of here; I'm still a bit out of it."

Artemis didn't hesitate as she slung Derek's arm over her shoulder and allowed him to lean on her as they out of the tunnel and onto Derek's property. They'd just gotten up the small hill when Derek pulled away and placed his hand against a tree as he leaned against it.

"Stop, stop," he said. "Something doesn't feel right. This was way too easy."

"Easy?" she said, incredulously. "You call all of this easy? You're complicated, you know that? We got out. Quit worrying."

But she spoke too soon, as Derek was then shot in the chest and leg by two arrows that were fired by Kate, who looked quite smug as she prepared to fire again.

"Artemis, your eyes!" yelled Derek.

Before she had time to react, the arrow hit the tree and a bright flash went off, which ruined Artemis's vision. She was on the ground, trying to clear her vision, when Derek, who'd gotten rid of the arrows he'd been hit with, got up and pulled her away.

Unfortunately, Derek hadn't fully healed and was still weak. He soon collapsed from his wounds. "Artemis, go! Get away from here!"

Though Artemis's vision still hadn't cleared, she was still stubborn and could make out Derek's form on the ground. Quickly, she crawled over to him and protectively covered him with her body. "No. I won't leave without you. Not again. If you die, I die."

"Dang it, Artemis!" said Derek, angrily. "Why're you always trying to save me?"

"Because you're worth saving and because I love you!" she confessed. Her secret was out. Now he knew how she felt about him.

Despite the fact that her vision still hadn't completely clear, she could just make out Derek's shocked face. "You-you love me?" he whispered.

"Yes," she said, as a few tears escaped her. "I love you, Derek. I love you so much."

"Artemis, I—"

"Enough with the cheesy love talk, already!" interrupted Kate. "You're going to make me puke." She aimed her gun at them as Artemis defiantly glared at her. "It's a shame I have to end you both. You really do make a sweet pair of star-crossed lovers, just like Romeo and Juliet."

Derek and Artemis tightly wrapped their arms around each other. Artemis's head was under Derek's chin as she closed her eyes and braced herself for the killing blow, when suddenly; Chris Argent's voice rang out, "KATE!"

Artemis looked up and saw Chris and Alison standing before them, armed and prepared to fire.

"I know what you did, Kate," said Chris. "Put the gun down."

Kate rolled her eyes as she faced Chris, but didn't put her gun down. "I did what I was told to."

"No one asked you to murder innocent people!" growled Alison.

"There were children in that house, ones who were human. Most of the wolves there hadn't ever killed anyone in their life," said Chris. "Look at what you're doing now! You're holding a gun to a young girl; with no proof she's ever taken a human life and who's only trying to protect someone she loves from you. And Derek Hale has only ever acted in self-defense. He's done nothing wrong. We go by the code. _Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent_."

"'We hunt those who hunt us,'" said Alison, aiming her crossbow at Kate. "That's the code we live by. We don't hurt or kill innocents. Or is that too much for you to understand?"

Chris aimed his gun at Kate when she disobeyed him yet again. "Put the gun down, Kate." He let off a warning shot, when she didn't respond. "Or I'll put you down."

For a moment, there was only silence as Artemis glanced nervously between her friends and her enemy, and then the door to the house swung open. Those who were armed aimed their weapons at the door while Artemis and Derek got up and prepared to shift. The Alpha was coming.

Suddenly, Peter emerged from the house in his wolf form. He ran across the grounds quicker than anyone could blink. He knocked down everyone except for Kate. Then he disappeared and reappeared just as quickly. He grabbed Kate's hand that was holding her gun, disarmed her, damaged her wrist and then flung her onto the porch by the throat before dragging her inside.

Without thinking, Artemis ran inside and was followed by Alison. They found Peter in the burned living room, holding his claws to Kate's throat.

"Your niece is so beautiful, Kate," said Peter. "She looks like you. But she's probably not as damaged. So, I'm going to give you a chance to save her."

"Don't do this," said Alison, softly. "Please, don't."

"Peter, listen to me," said Artemis, trying to fix the situation. "You have every right to despise Kate for what you did to you and your family, I won't deny that. She's evil and a cow. But you don't have to do this. She's the police department's prime suspect for the fire and they're looking for her. We can turn her in. With the evidence against her, she'll be punished."

Peter just laughed. "You mean thrown in jail and eventually release. That's not good enough for me. What would you do if you were in my position, Artemis? If you'd lost the life you'd built and the people you loved, if they were ripped away from you because you were different, what would you do?"

"I know I wouldn't do what you're doing," said Artemis, calmly. There was a difference between wanting someone dead and actually doing the deed. She'd wanted revenge when she thought Derek was killed, but she hadn't taken it. "Ask yourself this: how does what you're going to do, what you've done, make you any different from her? Do you want to be better than her or just become more like her?"

"I'm _nothing _like her!" roared Peter. He tightened his grip on Kate before hissing in her ear, "You've got one chance, Kate. Apologize. Say that you're sorry for decimating my family, for leaving me burned and broken for six years. Say it, and I'll let you and your precious niece live."

"I'm sorry," gasped Kate.

Artemis inwardly winced as she could hear Kate's heartbeat and knew that Kate was lying. Kate was anything but sorry. She didn't regret what she'd done. Peter could obviously tell that too and quickly killed her before Alison or Artemis could stop him.

Peter sighed and looked like a load had been taken off his shoulders. "I don't know about you, Alison, but that apology didn't sound very sincere." He started to approach her, but then Artemis shifted and stood protectively in front of her as Derek entered the room, fully shifted as well.

"Alison, run," growled Artemis.

Alison ran as Artemis and Derek launched into a fight with Peter.

They attacked him from both sides, but he just flung them away and gave them a patronizing look. Peter flung Derek up into the ceiling and then into the piano. Artemis leapt onto his back, but he just flung her painfully down before he tossed her into the wall. Derek did a backwards flip-kick, hitting Peter's chin, but it barely fazed him, as he punched Derek twice before throwing him onto Artemis. Derek leapt at him again, only to be thrown into the wall and knocked out.

Furious, Artemis launched herself at Peter, only to be trapped in a headlock and painfully kicked in the stomach, damaging her ribs, and then thrown into the wall again. But Artemis managed to get out of his grip and pin him to the wall and pounded on his back several times. Then Peter briefly shifted before he started to choke her, only to be flung away by Derek, who stood protectively in front of her.

"Keep your filthy paws off her," he growled. "You're not family, Peter. You lost that right when you killed Laura. If you kill Artemis, you'll have to kill me too."

Peter just snarled before he fully shifted. His clothes tore, his skin became dark grey with spiky black fur, his eyes turned red, claws and fangs appeared and then he was more beast than human, just like Derek had once said. He then flung both Derek and Artemis out the window. When he came outside, he picked them up and snarled at them.

They managed to get away by kicking him hard in the chest and doing a flip backwards, which sent him flying onto the porch. He was about to attack again when Stiles and Jackson appeared in Jackson's Porsche. Stiles threw a vial, containing a Molotov cocktail at Peter, only to look dismayed when Peter caught the vial in his wrist.

"Alison, fire at the vial!" yelled Artemis.

Alison obeyed and shot an arrow at the vial and Peter's arm lit on fire. He became fully immersed in flames when Jackson tossed another cocktail at him. After a few moments, the flames died down and he collapsed onto his back. He was a mess, but he was alive. It would take more than a bit of fire to take down an Alpha.

Artemis was breathing hard as she and Derek resumed their human appearances. She was still a little frightened about all that had happened. Derek helped her to stand up before they approached Peter. Derek kept an arm around Artemis, and didn't take his eyes off Peter.

"Peter, they say that if the Beta kills the Alpha that turned her, she'll become human again," said Derek. "Is it true? Will Artemis be cured if she kills you?"

"I don't know," hissed Peter. He wasn't lying.

"It doesn't matter," said Artemis, surprising them all.

"Doesn't matter?" repeated Stiles, looking incredulous. "Artemis, are you kidding me? You've been after the cure ever since this all started! How can it not matter?"

"It doesn't matter because I don't care anymore," said Artemis. "Has any of this been easy? No. But it hasn't been all that bad. I've made my peace with who and what I am. And how do we know that my killing him won't just make me the Alpha instead of curing me? How do we know that my killing him won't just make me like him? I don't want that. I'm not going to do it. I won't."

"You may be right, but we can't just let him go free," said Chris, as he approached them. "You're both part of his pack. He's got control over you and he nearly killed you both and my daughter."

"So, what do we do?" asked Alison.

"The only thing we can do: I'll become the Alpha," said Derek. "I have years of experience and control. I can handle it. It's the only way we'll be free of him and I'll be able to help Artemis more."

Artemis looked over at Alison and Chris, who shared a silent conversation before they nodded.

"So be it," said Chris. He handed Derek his gun. "Do it."

And with that, Derek did what he had to and became the Alpha. He was the new pack leader and Artemis was part of his pack. Things would be better now.

Once that was over, Artemis turned to Chris.

"Mr. Argent, I'm sorry for—"

But she was cut off when Chris held up his hand. "One, I told you to call me Chris. And two, you have nothing to be sorry for. Alison told me everything. I'm sorry for what I put you through. I want you to know that I stand by the code. You're unlike other werewolves. I won't hunt you or Derek as long as we both agree to stand by the code."

Artemis smiled as she shook his hand. "We're agreed."

"I still don't trust you, but for Artemis's sake, I agree too," said Derek.

Chris just nodded. "Fair enough. But know this, not every hunter is like me and after what's just happened, trouble is on the horizon. So, watch your backs."

"We will," said Artemis.

"Derek?" said Jackson, catching their attention. "I believe you owe me something."

Derek narrowed his eyes and they briefly flashed red with anger. "Excuse me? _I_ owe _you_?"

"I helped save you. You got what you wanted. Now, it's time for me to get what I want," said Jackson, looking terrified. "Turn me."

Derek snorted. "Jackson, do you know why the Alpha turns people?"

"No," said Jackson, looking confused.

"The Alpha turns humans because of one of three reasons. One, they want a stronger pack and think that person will make them stronger. Two, they need a goon. Or three, they've found their true mate. You don't qualify for any of those. You only want the power, not the consequences, which include having to control your anger and the shifting on the full moon. You want to become a werewolf because you want to please someone. And let's not forget that you didn't back off from Artemis or keep your fat mouth shut like I asked you to," snarled Derek. "So, the answer's no. I'm not turning you and that's final. If you get turned, it won't be by my hand."

Jackson looked as if he wanted to protest, but one look from Chris shut him up.

XXX

For the next few hours, they tied up loose ends.

They buried Peter and left Kate her necklace and allowed her to be discovered. Jackson was sent home, while Stiles, Artemis, and Derek went elsewhere.

Later that night, Artemis, Derek and Stiles paid a visit to Lydia to see if she would become a werewolf. Their visit turned up something baffling. Lydia was going to make a full recovery, but the wounds that she sustained from Peter were not fully healed, not like Artemis's had been. Lydia wasn't a werewolf, but no one knew what she was, only that they'd have to keep an eye on her for now.

Kate's body was found by the police, and she was publicly declared the culprit of the Hale fire. The sheriff couldn't deny the evidence, especially since Kate was wearing her family heirloom necklace which had been something the key witness had claimed she was wearing. There was going to be a bit of trouble, but it was nothing they couldn't handle.

Having decided to move on with his life, Derek bought his own place and found a quiet job online that wouldn't get him noticed by hunters. It seemed all would be well for the time being.

The following night, Artemis found herself being dragged away somewhere by Alison.

"Alison, why can't you just tell me what's all this about?" asked Artemis.

Alison had made Artemis get all dolled up for something she wouldn't tell Artemis about. Artemis had her hair pinned back and curled, her make-up was light but it brought out her features, she wore Derek's necklace, an elegant white dress with silver embroidery and matching high-heels. Now Alison was driving Artemis somewhere.

"It's a surprise, that's why. Close your eyes," said Alison, as she pulled over. She led Artemis out of the car and into somewhere quite warm. "Okay, open your eyes."

When Artemis opened her eyes, she was stunned to see that she was in a beautiful gazebo that was lit up with countless tiny lights. In one area, there was a stereo and Derek was there in the center of the room. He was dressed in black slacks, fine black leather shoes, a black suit jacket, and a slightly opened white shirt and he was smiling.

"Derek?" she said, surprised. "What's all this?"

"I seem to recall that you asked me to the Winter Formal, but I couldn't attend. So, I want to make it up to you," said Derek. He held out his hand. "Care to dance?"

Artemis smiled and felt excited. "I'd love to," she said, as she took his hand.

Derek smiled back as he took her hand and they started to dance together as a romantic song played on the stereo. It was a magical and beautiful moment.

"Derek, what were you going to say earlier, about how I'd seen your memories?" asked Artemis.

"Oh, that," said Derek. He took a deep breath. "Artemis, everything that's happened between us since you were bitten: feeling each other's presence, keeping each other anchored, my protectiveness of you, you seeing what I saw, it took me a while to realize what it meant. I didn't know until you told me you saw my memories. You and I, we're mates. You're _my _mate, Huntress."

Artemis was stunned and for a moment, she couldn't speak. "We-we're mates? How?"

"Because I love you," he whispered. "I think I've always loved you and just didn't know it before. And we only love like that once in our lifetimes. I love you."

Artemis felt happy tears sting her eyes as she smiled. He loved her. "I love you too," she said.

Derek's arms slid around her waist as Artemis wrapped her arms around his neck and they shared an intense passionate kiss expressing the depth of their love for one another. For one moment, all was right in the world. For one moment, they were just two people in love. For one moment, everything was perfect. And for just one moment that was all that really mattered.


End file.
